Virat Kohli has been in red hot form in the ongoing T20 World Cup Down Under.
England all-rounder Moeen Ali has devised a strategy to come out on top of the opposition in the crucial T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final clash against India on Thursday (November 10) at the Adelaide Oval.
He developed this strategy while playing with his Chennai Super Kings (CSK) teammates MS Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo in the IPL, where the knockout rounds are played.
“At CSK I learnt a lot from guys like MS Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo. I learnt how senior players can rub off on the younger players. It’s amazing in big games, the older players in this team just need to stay calm and get the youngsters really fired up without getting too emotionally fired up,” Moeen told reporters.
Virat Kohli, who has returned to his destructive best, is one of the biggest obstacles impeding the English team from reaching the finals of the ongoing ICC tournament.
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Moeen revealed that the plan will be to stifle Kohli’s scoring option and force him to play a rash shot.
“Top players, when they’re in, they’re hard to stop in T20 cricket. You have to have a plan to slow them down and then maybe get a wicket
“He’s playing well, so we’ll have to stick to our plans whatever they are. To’ve played with and against these guys quite a lot now and so you know a lot,” said Moeen.
“I think as a team we prepare for everything the day will bring, we’ll know how we’re going to bowl at him and stick to those plans,” Ali stated.
Virat is the tournament’s highest run-scorer with 246 runs to his name in 5 games at a staggering average of 123.
The veteran all-rounder reckons that it will be crucial for his team to stick to their plans against Kohli.
“It also depends on how he’s batting at the time, his own confidence. Batting-wise he’s batting really well. I think since the Asia Cup I feel like he’s back to his best. He looks like he’s found his mojo again and that happens to every player over their career. He’s playing well, so we’ll have to stick to our plans whatever they are. Top players, when they’re in, they’re hard to stop in T20 cricket. India obviously used to playing under pressure in front of a lot of people,” he added.
(INDIAN EXPRESS INPUTS)