In a match where Hardik Pandya was at his best and Rohit Sharma set numerous records, batting star Virat Kohli produced a rare misstep on Wednesday. The in-form Kohli, who forms a devastating opening duo with India captain Rohit, starred in the Men in Blue’s T20 World Cup 2024 opener against European giant killers Ireland. Kohli’s return as an opener confirmed Yashasvi Jaiswal’s absence from India’s top-of-the-line batting at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.
With Rohit batting at full speed, Kohli mistimed his attacking shots and it was a day to forget. The former India captain was dropped for one in five balls. Before India took on Ireland, Kohli was averaging 81.5 in the T20 World Cup. The veteran batsman has scored fifty or more in 14 of his 25 deliveries. Kohli sliced a thick edge to Benjamin Whyte at third man to record his lowest run of the T20 World Cup.
Also read: Rohit Sharma faces injury scare against Ireland after scoring record-breaking fifty in India’s T20 World Cup opener
Sunil Gavaskar sees silver lining in Virat Kohli’s rare blunder
Kohli had a record-breaking slump in his debut appearance at the 2024 World Cup but legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar expects the great to bounce back against India’s arch rivals Pakistan. Gavaskar has doubled down on his expectations from Kohli in the match against Pakistan and expects the former India captain to once again deliver some match-changing knocks against Babar Azam’s team on the biggest stage.
Gavaskar warns Babar Azam’s Pakistan ‘Koli’
“The way I see it, great players like Steve Smith, Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, Joe Root. They mess up in one game and try to make it up in the next. They want to get double runs. So, whatever runs he missed (against Ireland), he wants to get double runs. And there is no better opponent to get that double run than against Pakistan,” Gavaskar told Star Sports after India’s win over Ireland.
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The veteran batsman, nicknamed the “Master of Chase”, recorded fruitful scores of 78*, 36*, 54, 57*, 72*, 23, 55* and 82 in India’s run chase in the T20 World Cup. Kohli’s absence against Ireland was India’s lowest score in a run chase in the T20 World Cup. Kohli is the first batsman to reach 4,000 runs in the shortest format. The highest run-getter in the history of T20 cricket has scored 4,038 runs in just 110 innings. India’s captain Rohit has joined Kohli in a special club and was instrumental in India’s comfortable win over Ireland. Kohli-led India will face Pakistan in the second Group A match of the T20 World Cup at the same venue on Sunday.
