Aakash Chopra doesn't see Virat Kohli scoring a century anytime soon.
Virat Kohli will be soon seen in action after being named in India's squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2022, starting on August 27 in the UAE. Kohli has been rested after the England tour following his consistently poor performance with the bat.
The right-hander has been struggling for runs for the past 2-3 years now and has not scored a century in international cricket since 2019. Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra, on the other hand, believes Kohli will have enough time to find his form before the upcoming T20 World Cup in 2022.
Team India will play at least 4 T20Is in the Asia Cup 2022 and then 6 T20Is against Australia and South Africa at home, and Chopra feels Kohli can find his old touch while playing freely in these matches.
The former opener also said that the Indian team can’t expect Kohli to score big runs in the upcoming T20Is.
Aakash Chopra said during a conversation on Star Sports: “I don’t know what’s the mindset of the team or what Virat is feeling, but I, as a viewer, have lowered my expectations. The reason is, I don’t see anyone in this team who would play for his hundred.”
He added, “Be it Rohit Sharma or KL Rahul, if they are batting on 50, they go all guns blazing. If 220 is possible, you want to go there. Don’t settle for 210 or 190 or 180. If the team bats with that mindset then an individual gets the liberty to play freely.
If that’s the case, then I’m not judging a player by numbers. Doesn’t matter if he scores a 40 or 70 because everybody has a role to play. There’s synergy in every player regardless of the position he bats at, you are just going hell for leather.”
Chopra signed off by saying, “If that’s the mindset, then it’s going to be a lot easier for Kohli. It’s the perfect set-up. The kind of cricket India is playing at the moment, the team doesn’t expect Kohli to score 70 or a 100 or finish the game. You just come and play your, that’s more than enough.”