Mohammed Kaif, a former Indian batsman, praised Virat Kohli for his successful comeback at the Asia Cup. Before the India vs. Pakistan Super-4 match, Kaif told Sportskeeda that Kohli’s return to form had something positive to it.
He has so far played well. It’s been a fantastic comeback, something to celebrate. You see, many prayed for Virat Kohli when he wasn’t making runs… Although there was a concern, no one declared that Virat Kohli was done.
“He was regarded as a top-tier batter by all. Yes, his form had been off for a while, but he never appeared to be out of sync. He was in rhythm even when he played in the IPL; I recall him scoring 72 runs against the Gujarat Titans and hitting a six against Rashid Khan,” he went on to say.
In defense of Kohli’s tough period, Kaif noted that although there are instances when the gap between two major blows can grow very wide, it now appears that Kohli is back to his aggressive best.
In the last match, in which he batted very aggressively and hit sixes as well, Kaif said, “got nicely set against Pakistan, got through the phase where their fast-bowlers were bowling well. Sometimes there’s a long phase where there are no big knocks, but these two innings — got nicely set against Pakistan.”
Kaif speculated that Kohli might have introduced a new shot to his arsenal during his recent knock against Hong Kong.
“One shot was cross-batted over mid-wicket against a leg-spinner; he doesn’t frequently make that shot. He recently learned a new shot that he rarely uses: across the line and over mid-wicket. His form is clearly returning, and his positive energy is back,” Kaif clarified.
For both India against Pakistan and the next T20 World Cup, Virat Kohli will be essential. In order to control their workload, India’s coach Rahul Dravid has stated that the players will no longer receive breaks and will instead play their strongest lineup going forward.