Virat Kohli will be seen in action during the Asia Cup, having seen a brief break from world cricket due to a slump in form. The star batter faces a nightmarish batting dip, with his last international ton coming almost three years ago in November 2019. Out-of-form Kohli was rested for the West Indies tour, with questions being raised over his future.
In the recent England tour, Kohli managed scores of only 11 and 20 in the delayed Edgbaston Test. He then gathered 12 runs in two T20Is and followed it up with 17 and 16 runs in the three-match ODI series. The 33-year-old has endured a torrid 12 months, which has also seen him getting replaced as India's all-format captain.
In stark contrast to his batting prowess, Kohli may have undergone a wretched run, but former India player Sanjay Manjrekar has lauded his approach with the willow, which shows a glimpse of the team's attacking 'philosophy' in the 20-over format.
"They should celebrate because the class is back. Virat Kohli has had some first-hand experience of this new approach of India in T20 cricket in England. So he has embraced that, not with great success, but he has embraced that. You have got to give credit to Virat Kohli," Manjrekar told Sports18's show 'Sports Over the Top'.
“He didn't care about whether he was getting runs or whether he was getting out because he desperately needed runs in England and he is looking for international runs but he still sort of backed up the Indian team's new philosophy. He was trying to hit boundaries from ball number one,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“He didn't care about whether he was getting runs or whether he was getting out because he desperately needed runs in England and he is looking for international runs but he still sort of backed up the Indian team's new philosophy. He was trying to hit boundaries from ball number one,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}Kohli on Thursday shared a clip of his training session, where he was seen running between wickets. "Running into practice week," wrote the star player in his Instagram story.
As defending champions India lock horns with Pakistan in a high-octane clash on August 28, the spotlight will be on Kohli, who has made four T20I appearances this year in which he has gathered just 81 runs at an average of 20.25.
Kohli hopes to find his lost mojo in the six-team tournament that will be played in the UAE. India, Pakistan and a qualifying team are in Group A, while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan form Group B. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super 4 round, and the top two teams from Super 4 will qualify for the final.