File photo of Virat Kohli© AFP
Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar supported Virat Kohli to score points for India regardless of the captaincy he plays under. There has been much speculation about Kohli’s body language and approach now that he is no longer the captain in any form, but Gavaskar said he is a quality player and would be back on the runs very soon. Kohli, who emerged with firearms and hit his first two balls for four in the first ODI against the West Indies in Ahmedabad, was drilled in the deep end when he failed to control a pull shot from Alzarri Joseph.
“Today Kohli didn’t get points, but he does get points, whether he plays under Rohit Sharma or someone else, he will score points for India,” Gavaskar said in the post-match discussion on Star Sports after India’s victory over six wicket Sunday.
Kohli may not have scored highly, but he took an active role in the field, contributing to at least two layoffs from Yuzvendra Chahal. In the 20th over, Kohli Chahal suggested throwing the wrong one to West Indian captain Kieron Pollard first, who followed the leg spinner to fire Pollard for a golden duck. In the 22nd over, Kohli persuaded captain Rohit Sharma to go for the DRS when Shamarh Brooks was not knocked out by the umpire on the field. UltraEdge confirmed there was an outside edge and Chahal got another wicket.
Kohli was also seen celebrating Pollard’s wicket with Rohit.
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“Why shouldn’t they (Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli) get along? They play for India. All these conversations that you generally hear about two players not being bullshit are always speculation… According to reliable sources, allegedly,” Gavaskar said when asked about the camaraderie between Kohli and Rohit.
“This has been happening for years, this is not happening for the first time. The guys involved don’t even care. You wouldn’t even bother with such speculation because you know what the truth is. Then there is often that speculation is that a former captain who is now a player on the team won’t give his best because he doesn’t want the new captain to succeed, that’s not the case because if he doesn’t score or pick wickets he goes to falling out of the team. So all these conversations are just speculation. People who have nothing better to do tend to try to create stories,” he added.
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