Aakash Chopra hopes for Virat Kohli to remain on the pitch extensively during the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Kohli ventured back onto India’s T20I team during the second match of the ongoing clash against Afghanistan. This was his inaugural shortest-format international match after the 2022 T20 World Cup. He acquired 29 scores from 16 throws with a strike rate of 181.25, symbolized by five boundaries.
Aakash Chopra, on his YouTube channel, created a correlation between Kohli’s consistency at the bat to a lion’s presence in a jungle. He explained:
“Kohli has all types of gears. He can play fast or slow. He can play at a run-a-ball as well. Kohli is at his best when he stays for a long time. You feel scared going into a jungle because a lion is there.”
Aakash Chopra
The former India opener added:
“It’s not mandatory that the lion will eat you whenever you enter a jungle but the knowledge of the lion being there scares you. Virat Kohli is that lion. You (opposing teams) are always scared when Virat Kohli is at the crease.”
Aakash Chopra
Kohli has a career strike rate of almost 138, as Chopra noted. He continued by saying that when he plays at that speed, he can do magic when needed rather than trying to hit every ball for a boundary.
“You expect Virat Kohli to stand there and accelerate later” – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra does not anticipate a high-scoring match at the T20 World Cup. He clarified:
“The lion needs to be there on the pitch, especially on those pitches where totals will be between 160 and 180. 220 won’t be scored there. So you expect Virat Kohli to stand there and accelerate later.”
Aakash Chopra
Referencing Kohli’s 2022 T20 World Cup knock against Pakistan, the well-known pundit said that the contemporary batting legend need to take a similar tack. He declared:
“The knock which was called the innings of the century, the Pakistan one, there also you will find that he was going at slightly higher than a run-a-ball. He accelerated in the end and won India the game. If Virat goes ultra-aggressive, consistency could be a casualty, and that’s not what you want.”
Aakash Chopra
In conclusion, Chopra stated that one should continue to be afraid of lions. He went on to say that the bowlers believe Virat Kohli may alter the course of the game at any point till he is at the crease and that his presence encourages his teammates to play aggressively.