Team India's talisman and opening batter, Virat Kohli has had a poor start to his T20 World Cup 2024 campaign with just five runs in his three matches so far.
It has been a challenging time for Kohli after his promotion to the top of the order for the World Cup, partly because of the tough wickets in New York, where India played their opening three matches. It has been pace-friendly, causing great difficulty for batters especially in the powerplay.
Despite his underwhelming start to the world tournament, former Australian captain, Michael Clarke, has shown his support for the Indian star, backing him to turn things around during the Super 8 phase, in the Caribbean.
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'One step closer to a big score' - why Michael Clarke is backing Virat Kohli?
The former Australian World Cup winner, Michael Clarke was speaking on ESPN Cricinfo's "Around the Wicket" show, ahead of India's Super 8 game against Afghanistan in Barbados, when he was asked about Virat Kohli's poor form and his spot in XI. Clarke said:
"I think if they feel that's their best eleven, then keep him there. India feels it is their best 11 with him opening the bat. He has been playing on a pitch that has been tough for opening batters. There was a lot of talk throughout the IPL that Virat was going to bat at No.3 in this Indian team. I don't think 3 low scores make any difference to Kohli."
Clarke believes that the team has put their trust in Kohli to open the batting for India, after this dominating performance during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season, where he was the leading run scorer for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, while batting at the top of the order.
He said that Kohli's low scores should not be a concern as he is an experienced batter whom India will rely on, especially during the high-pressure matches. The Super 8 venues are expected to be balanced surfaces compared to the low scoring wickets at New York.
“But they've gone with him at the top of the order where he bats in the IPL. He had a great IPL, so you can understand their reason for doing that. I wouldn't be concerned about three low scores. All that means to me that he's one step closer to making a big one. It's the most important stage as well where the best players usually stand up,” Clarke added.
India will take on Afghanistan for the Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup 2024 at the Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados, on Thursday, June 20.
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