Former England captain, Nasser Hussain has backed India's Virat Kohli to do well in the T20 World Cup 2024 Final against South Africa, at Barbados, on June 29.
The Indian talisman has had an underwhelming tournament with the bat, managing to score just 75 runs in his 7 innings so far. He was promoted as an opener ahead of the big tournament, after a dominating performance as the top run-scorer during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season.
Kohli's failures in this tournament have been in stark contrast to his usual performances in big ICC events, where he has scored 1216 runs averaging 57.90, in 32 T20 World Cup innings, which includes 14 half-centuries.
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Why Nasser Hussain is backing Virat Kohli in the T20 World Cup Final?
The former England captain, Nasser Hussain was speaking on Sky Sports Cricket ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024 Final between India and South Africa at Barbados, alongside former England cricketers, Eoin Morgan and Michael Atherton.
The conversation turned to a discussion regarding Virat Kohli's poor form in the tournament. Some experts even suggested that the Indian batter should be excluded from the XI for the Final, which Nasser did not agree with.
"Athers [Michael Atherton] said that he will leave Kohli out for the Final, but I would play him, definitely," he said.
Nasser reminded the viewers about one of Kohli's most memorable innings during the T20 World Cup 2022 against Pakistan, where he scored an unbeaten 82*, guiding India to victory from the claws of defeat.
"You go to the game against Pakistan at the MCG when India were floundering and Kohli was smashing it. That was the biggest game of all time for India, because it was India-Pakistan. He is always there in big matches."
He suggested that the Indian opener should stick to his usual style of batting, which is as an anchor instead of his new approach of forcing intent early on, saying that the batters around him can play their shots, while he can act as the glue in the batting order.
"I personally think Virat Kohli should bat like he did during the past decade. He's got a strike rate of 138, he can be the glue in the team - they can all bat around him, playing their shots," Nasser said
He said that Kohli's struggles in the tournament might have been due to the New York pitch, which proved to be difficult for all batters due to the uneven bounce and movement on the wicket.
Nasser added that Kohli came into the tournament in good form from the IPL, where he scored 741 runs at an average of 61.75, in 15 innings. He felt that the Indian batter needs to get his batting rhythm back, to perform like his usual self.
"You cannot doubt Kohli as a player. You cannot doubt him in a big match. He has suffered in the New York pitch because he had a brilliant IPL. He was fantastic there and came to the tournament in form. Every bit of footage from the Indian camp, has been Kohli in the net with Rahul Dravid, trying to get the rhythm of batting," the former England captain said.
"Virat Kohli is a rhythm player. He is not someone like a Hardik Pandya, who is a power player. He needs time and rhythm in the middle. If he bats 3-4 overs, that rhythm and timing will come back."
He captain concluded by saying that Team India will want Kohli to bat a couple of overs, to get his rhythm and timing back because the team will rely on him during the high-pressure moments in the big game.
"Who will India want at the end, under pressure, in a big game - they will want Kohli! I though England would be really pleased watching Kohli look so frenetic in the semi-final, as opposed to him showing some class."
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