New Delhi: Australian cricket legend Matthew Hayden has reignited the debate over Virat Kohli’s bat, especially in the context of the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Hayden’s comments came in the wake of former India captain Sunil Gavaskar’s criticism of Kohli’s explosive response to critics questioning his scoring rate in IPL 2024.
Kohli put in a scintillating performance against Gujarat Titans, scoring an unbeaten 70 off 44 balls, including a phenomenal performance against the spinners. Kohli’s response to criticism regarding his scoring intentions in the middle overs sparked a heated debate within the cricket fraternity.
While assessing Kohli’s potential role as India’s opener in the T20 World Cup, Hayden highlighted that Kohli’s strike rate has improved significantly over the past four IPL seasons.
“The strike rate is going in the right direction and is trending upwards,” Hayden told Star Sports. “So 150 for me is kind of a sweet spot where you start and we all have a lot of conversations about where you’re going to bat? Is it three over or is it open? The first six. I know the overs, but it doesn’t matter if Kohli is in the first six overs or not.” You know there are going to be fireworks. ”
Hayden highlighted Kohli’s adaptability and proactive approach regardless of his bat, especially in the context of the explosive nature of the first six overs in T20 cricket. He expressed confidence in Kohli’s ability to set off fireworks irrespective of where he bats in the batting lineup.
Reflecting on the T20 World Cup in the West Indies, Hayden highlighted the good batting conditions and Kohli’s proficiency in exploiting such surfaces. He cited Kohli’s outstanding performances as a T20I opener, including a sensational century in last year’s Asia Cup, as evidence of his superior ability in the role.
However, Hayden also acknowledged the uncertainty of the situation in New York, one of the hosts of the T20 World Cup, and expressed confidence in Kohli’s adaptability and the firepower of the Indian batting line-up.
“They don’t really know about the conditions in New York. I’ve seen that overlaid venue and it looked great. But it’s certainly going to be mild conditions through the West Indies and Kohli We’ll come and see how it goes. We know he’s a good batsman and has a good strike rate, so we’re going to attack him,” Hayden added.
Hayden’s comments came in the wake of former India captain Sunil Gavaskar’s criticism of Kohli’s explosive response to critics questioning his scoring rate in IPL 2024.
Kohli put in a scintillating performance against Gujarat Titans, scoring an unbeaten 70 off 44 balls, including a phenomenal performance against the spinners. Kohli’s response to criticism regarding his scoring intentions in the middle overs sparked a heated debate within the cricket fraternity.
Expanding
“The strike rate is going in the right direction and is trending upwards,” Hayden told Star Sports. “So 150 for me is kind of a sweet spot where you start and we all have a lot of conversations about where you’re going to bat? Is it three over or is it open? The first six. I know the overs, but it doesn’t matter if Kohli is in the first six overs or not.” You know there are going to be fireworks. ”
Hayden highlighted Kohli’s adaptability and proactive approach regardless of his bat, especially in the context of the explosive nature of the first six overs in T20 cricket. He expressed confidence in Kohli’s ability to set off fireworks irrespective of where he bats in the batting lineup.
Reflecting on the T20 World Cup in the West Indies, Hayden highlighted the good batting conditions and Kohli’s proficiency in exploiting such surfaces. He cited Kohli’s outstanding performances as a T20I opener, including a sensational century in last year’s Asia Cup, as evidence of his superior ability in the role.
However, Hayden also acknowledged the uncertainty of the situation in New York, one of the hosts of the T20 World Cup, and expressed confidence in Kohli’s adaptability and the firepower of the Indian batting line-up.
“They don’t really know about the conditions in New York. I’ve seen that overlaid venue and it looked great. But it’s certainly going to be mild conditions through the West Indies and Kohli We’ll come and see how it goes. We know he’s a good batsman and has a good strike rate, so we’re going to attack him,” Hayden added.
