Hyderabad: With arch-rivals India and Pakistan set to take on each other in the World Cup game on Sunday, many eyes will be on the former’s ace batter Virat Kohli. Ahead of the crucial fixture, former Indian cricketer Mohammed Kaif has opined that Kohli should tone down his aggression a little bit.
India played their first game of the ongoing T20 World Cup against Ireland and secured a dominating victory. However, the right-handed batter had a disappointing outing in the middle scoring only one run from the five balls he faced and was caught at the third man position while attempting a big shot.
During a discussion on Star Sports, Kaif opined that Kohli should tone down his aggression a bit.
"Forget Pakistan, Virat Kohli is a danger for every team. Any team that plays against him won't find it that easy to get him out. However, I feel he will have to tone down his aggression a little. He could score only one run off five balls in the last match, stepped down the wicket, got a top edge, and got out," he responded during answering a query.
Kohli amassed 741 runs with an average of 61.75 and a strike rate of 154.70 in the IPL 2024 going through a sensational run in the tournament. Kaif also stated that the 35-year-old should bat deep just like IPL and play a knock of around 70 runs.
"He is able to play every shot, but I feel he needs to tone down his strike rate slightly. Go at a strike rate of around 130 and don't run close to 140-150. His role will be to bat 15 to 20 overs and score 60-70 runs. Seventy runs from Virat Kohli's bat will be a very good knock. Take a little time at the start, wait for the bad balls, and then play your shots," he added.
The Indian team will rely on Virat Kohli to play an anchor role and help them post a decent total against the arch-rival on June 9 at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.
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