Sanjay Manjrekar urges Virat Kohli to bring his earlier version back
India's star batter Virat Kohli didn't have the kind of start to the 2024 T20 World Cup that was actually expected after the blockbuster IPL 2024 edition he had. The stylish right-handed batter smashed 741 runs in the edition to win the Orange Cap. However, the swashbuckling batter just managed to score one and four runs in the two innings against Ireland and Pakistan, respectively.
In the same vein, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar stated that the Men in Blue aren't in need of the aggressive version of the 36-year-old cricketer and rather need his old version to win the matches magnificently. However, the cricketer turned commentator also took a cheeky dig at the former India skipper, saying that Virat Kohli managed to stop the criticism of his approach in the format by improving his strike rate to almost 150 in a league where most of the batters were playing over 200 strike rates.
"The problem with Virat Kohli is that there has been a lot of talk about his strike rate over the last two years, and he completely changed that during this IPL season. His strike rate had reached 150, although others had almost 200, but that is a different topic. He probably must have come to the T20 World Cup with that same mindset, but given the pitches, the old Virat Kohli would have been much better," Sanjay Manjrekar said on ESPNCricinfo.
I feel someone should tell him to bring back that earlier version of himself and then change again: Sanjay Manjrekar
Meanwhile, the renowed cricket commentator feels that Kohli might be in the same mindset as he was during the whole IPL edition, where India is in need of his old version to tackle the difficult pitch conditions in New York. In addition, the former India cricketer also took an indirect jibe at the RCB star by praising right-arm pacer Jasprit Bumrah for his heroics in the match against arch rivals Pakistan.
"So, I feel someone should tell him to bring back that earlier version of himself and then change again when the pitches become flat. While Indian media obsesses over Virat & Co, Jasprit Bumrah quietly wins games for India single-handedly. By far the best player in the Indian team & has been for a while now," he added further.
On the other hand, Rohit Sharma and Co. stand a win away from confirming their berth in the Super Eight stage of the 2024 T20 World Cup after having beaten Ireland and Pakistan in their first and second games, respectively. However, the USA side is sitting in the top spot, having defeated Pakistan and Canada in their first two matches. The Men in Blue will be locking horns with hosts the USA on June 12, and the winner of this clash will qualify for the Super 8's. Notably, India has a great chance to defeat the USA in the next game, as they are heading with a great win over Babar Azam and Co. in their last clash, which took place on June 9.
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