IPL 2023: While Virat Kohli has been getting the right starts for Royal Challengers Bangalore, he struggles to get his momentum going after hitting his half-century. In the same light, here's a piece of advice from Ravi Shastri.
On Monday, former India coach Ravi Shastri advised Virat Kohli that he must not drop the tempo of his innings after getting a start as his consistent 'bat-deep' approach triggered a debate if such batting style is suited for Twenty20 (T20) cricket. Kohli's approach was questioned after he made 55 off 46 balls in a losing cause against Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Saturday night.
It was his sixth fifty-plus score of the season, but the pace of his innings probably cost the team another 20 runs. Asked if the under-performing RCB middle-order is forcing Kohli to play deep, Shastri told ESPNcricinfo that the Indian superstar doesn't need to worry about the form of other batters.
"Once you gain tempo, don't change, don't worry about the others. That will be my message to Virat. Let them do their job. In a T20 game, you can use fewer batters. If you are hot, keep that going. A prime example of that was Phil Salt. You saw the way he batted. Once he got into the groove, he didn't let go," explained Shastri.
"It took the pressure off the other batsmen. Having said, even they were hammering whether it was Marsh or Roussow. So, that could be there from Virat's point of view. If he gets going, don't change your tempo. Try and up the ante," said Shastri referring to Phil Salt's match-winning 87 off 45 balls for Delhi.
Former Australia cricketer Tom Moody feels with the introduction of the 'impact player', the game has moved on from that style (bat deep) of cricket. "That's why we are seeing so many totals go to 200+. There is no such role. We all need to be going here at 150+ without a doubt because we have the comfort of depth," Moody, former champion Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) coach, said.
After his 44-ball 61 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Kohli defended his batting style, saying playing the anchor role was crucial. "Many people view the game differently because they have not been in that situation. Suddenly, when the powerplay is done, they will be like, 'Oh, they have started rotating the strike'," he had said.
"When you have yet to lose a wicket in the PowerPlay, usually the best player comes on to bowl. You are trying to figure out what to do against him in the first two overs so that you can get big ones in the last two overs of that guy, and then, the rest of the innings become much easier," he had added.
(With inputs from PTI)