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‘No such thing as anchor in T20s…’: Virat Kohli's role in India's XI in T20 World Cup discussed by Tom Moody, Sreesanth
Will Virat Kohli open with batting with India captain Rohit Sharma in the T20 World Cup? Or will he continue to bat at No.3?
Virat Kohli has dominated the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 with the bat. The Royal Challengers Bangalore opener has scored 500 runs from 10 matches with 4 fifties and a hundred so far. With the T20 World Cup around the corner, the former Indian skipper will be expected to replicate his form at the biennial event.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the 15-man squad for the marquee event where Kohli was one of the most experienced players alongside skipper Rohit Sharma. While a lot of other players will be featuring in their maiden T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies, the onus will be on the run machine to deliver runs at crucial junctures during the matches.
No doubt the feisty right-hander has turned the tables for his team in the shortest format, particularly at the ICC events. Be it his sublime 82-run knock against Australia in 2016 in Mohali when India were struggling at 94/4 in 14 overs while chasing 160 or his magisterial 82 not-out against Pakistan in Melbourne where he launched Haris Rauf for two consecutive sixes, Kohli’s ICC outings have been nothing less than phenomenal.
The right-hander has batted at No.3 right through his T20 career but in the IPL, he has been opening the innings for the last few seasons which has given rise to speculation about his batting position in the Indian XI. Former Indian cricketer Sreesanth believed that the RCB opener should bat at No.3 and that he could walk in at any time and play the anchor role.
"He's looking to go there and enjoy. Virat should bat at No.3 because he can walk in any time and play the anchor role," he said.
Meanwhile, former Australian cricketer Tom Moody stated that there was nothing like an anchor in T20Is as he backed the experience of the former Indian skipper in the format.
"The term is wrong. There is no such thing as an anchor in T20s. He (Virat) needs to dictate the terms. He's got many gears. He needs to work through those. He's smart enough and experienced enough to adjust to 11 an over or 9 an over required rate," Moody said.
Kohli’s T20 records have been exceptional over the years. The prolific batter has scored 4037 runs from 117 matches at an average of 51.75 with 37 fifties and a hundred to his name. In the previous edition of the T20 World Cup in 2022, he was also the leading run-scorer of the tournament with 296 runs from 6 matches at an average of 98.66, which included 4 sixes with the highest score being an unbeaten 82.
