India head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma have supported struggling Virat Kohli, saying the stylish batsman has shown intent and is expected to have a “big goal” in the World Cup final. T20 against South Africa. Kohli, who was the highest run-getter in this year’s IPL with 741 runs, is yet to make a significant contribution in the tournament, having scored just 75 runs in seven innings.
“You know, with Virat, the problem is that when you play high-risk cricket there can be times when it doesn’t work out,” Dravid said after India advanced to the final with a 68-run win over England in the semi-final.
“Even today, I thought he hit a good six to set the pace, but he was unlucky because the ball went a little further. But I love the intention, I love the way he did it.
“And for some reason, I don’t want to jinx him, but I think something big is coming. I love his attitude and that he’s committing himself on the field; I think he deserves it.”
Captain Rohit also backed Kohli to triumph in Saturday’s final.
“He’s a quality player. Any player can go through that. But again, we understand his class and we understand his importance in all these important games.
“Form is never an issue because when you’ve played cricket for 15 years, form is never an issue. I thought he looked good. The intention is there. It’s probably to save up for the final.”
Rohit, who has so far scored 248 runs with three fifties, has become the first to lead India in a third final of the ICC global event in a space of 12 months after the 2023 World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup that same year.
Dravid praised Rohit and said, “Anything he says will not be enough. The way he has worked with the team, his strategy, his maturity, the team’s response to him and the time he spends on strategy, planning and the debate with all of us.
“I can’t speak highly enough of him as a cricketer and also as a person.”
India has worked well as a team.
Although their individual effort was a key factor, Rohit said it was very satisfying to win a match with a collective performance.
“I think we adapted very well to the conditions. The conditions were a bit difficult. We had to adapt and that has been our success so far. You know, up until this match we have adapted very well to the conditions,” he said.
Rohit said that at one point he felt that a target of 140-150 runs would be enough, but he revised it in his mind.
“Then we said, OK, another 20-25 runs. But again, you know I can set the target in my mind, but I don’t want anyone to know that to the batsmen because they are all instinctive players.
“We got to 170, which I thought was a pretty good score on that field. And then the bowlers were fantastic.” The Mumbai player also praised his bowlers Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel, who shared six wickets between them.
“…I thought they were very calm. They knew exactly what to bowl. And we had a little chat first after the first innings. We said, try to hit the stumps as much as possible, keep them in play and that’s exactly what they did,” he said.
When asked about the final heartbreak the team suffered in the ODI final seven months ago, Rohit said the focus right now is to stay calm.
“We have to keep making good decisions throughout the 40 overs and that will help us win the match. And I think in this match as well we were very consistent, very calm. We didn’t get too scared.”
“We will do our best, that’s all I can say. The team is in good shape, they are playing well. All I can hope for is to put on another good show when the final comes.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated channel.)
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