Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are counted among the top batters across formats in world cricket but of late, there has been some criticism on their approach in T20I cricket. The duo is considered to be a little ‘conservative’ as far as the modern standards as they like to settle in for the long haul without throwing the kitchen sink.
From a top-order batter, teams expect an aggressive approach and so is the case with Rohit who opens for India while Kohli bats at no 3.
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However, not everybody finds the argument convincing. Former Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan has no doubt over the quality of Rohit and Kohli as top-class batters and against India, teams usually plan to dislodge them as quickly as possible as doing so means ‘half of Indian team is finished’.
“When a cricketer doesn’t perform, there will be talks," Asghar told Hindustan Times when asked about the criticism directed at the pair. “That’s part of every cricketer’s life. But whenever we played against India, our plan used to be around Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. We used to say ‘get them out, half of Indian team is finished’. The whole world plans against these two big players like this only."
He continued, “They can win matches single-handedly. Our plan was always to attack them in the beginning because if we can’t get them out in the beginning then it is very difficult to trouble them. Especially Virat Kohli. He is a very busy player. When he is set, it is very difficult to dislodge him. We used to believe that if we get both of them out early then about 100-120 runs would be less from India’s total in an ODI and about 60-70 runs in a T20I."
Despite Rohit and Kohli performing well at the recently concluded Asia Cup 2022, India failed to defend their title after exiting in the Super Four stage. Asghar reckons that the biggest reason for their failure was the absence of Ravindra Jadeja who in the middle of the tournament was ruled out due to an injury.
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“Yes, on paper, they (India) were the best team to win the Asia Cup. The kind of balance they had was great. But perhaps they took things a little light but the main reason for their losses in the Super 4 stage was the injury to Ravindra Jadeja. It really affected the balance of their side," he said.
He backed India to do well at the T20 World Cup starting next month.
“India should support their players and the team. It’s not like they are a bad team just because they didn’t do well (in Asia Cup). These are part and parcel of the game. The World Cup is coming, and India have a very good chance," he said.
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