NEW DELHI:
Virat Kohli
endured a terrible run in the ongoing
T20 World Cup
with just five runs in his first three matches at the tournament. However, the star India batter showed glimpses of finding his form back against Afghanistan before being dismissed for 24 off 24.
Kohli, the leading run-scorer in the 2022 IPL with 741 runs, is being criticised for struggling to make a substantial impact in the tournament.
His scores in the group stage matches were underwhelming, with knocks of 1, 4, and 0.
However, batting legend
Brian Lara
has come to Kohli's defense. Lara believes that the time Kohli spent at the crease against Afghanistan, despite not scoring big, will serve as a confidence booster for the Indian batsman.
T20 World Cup 2024: Points Table | Schedule
"24 off 24, you can say that's not great but the most important thing is that he spent some time out there. India has got one step closer to winning this trophy. I believe that Virat Kohli is just gonna go from strength to strength as he comes down to the Caribbean. He's going to Antigua next, you're gonna see him go out there and plough and plough, he's gonna get runs," Lara said on Star Sports.
The Indian team management's decision of persisting with Kohli as
Rohit Sharma
's opening partner backfired badly and drew significant criticism, with many questioning the wisdom of Kohli's current batting position.
However, Lara holds a contrasting viewpoint on the matter. He believes that patience is crucial when dealing with a player of Kohli's caliber, given his reputation as a big match performer.
"When he gets into full swing, it's a different story. We just have to be very patient with him, we're gonna see a lot of him there's still a lot of games left in this World Cup," he added in the same interaction.
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