Former India batter Suresh Raina believes Virat Kohli needs to continue playing T20Is with the same attacking mindset that he has had over time.
During a match-talk show on Jio cinema, Raina was asked whether star-batter Virat Kohli needs to adopt a more aggressive approach during the T20 series against Afghanistan and the 2024 T20 World Cup coming up. To this, Raina replied that Kohli should approach T20Is with the same approach he has had, which is already “attacking”.
“He always has an attacking mindset, the way he controls the innings. 20 overs is a big format. People feel it is a very short format, but you still need to play 20 overs,” Raid said.
Virat Kohli, who missed the first T20 match against Afghanistan in Mohali, has travelled to Indore to join the Indian squad ahead of the next clash. The 35-year-old star will be featuring in his first T20I after India’s semi-final loss to England in the 2022 T20 World Cup, making him one of the key attractions of the match.
“India have won 17 of their last 19 matches while chasing when Kohli was there. When you chase, you do the calculations in your mind, and that’s why he is called a chase master,” Raina added.
When it comes to T20I numbers, Kohli’s are no less than “great”. The batter has 4008 runs in 107 innings in the shortest format of the game, which is also the most runs by any batter in T20Is. Raina’s comment gains a huge weight when the stats of Kohli come into the conversation.
The excitement amongst the entire cricket fandom is significantly high as the player is looking likely to feature in India’s match against Afghanistan in Indore on Sunday, January 14, 2024. With Rohit Sharma already recording an unfortunate comeback to T20Is, the expectation from Kohli will be as high as ever as he takes the crease.
Tune In
