Suresh Raina, former Indian cricketer, highlighted the crucial role Virat Kohli will play for India in the upcoming T20 World Cup in 2024. This comes after India's impressive 6-wicket win against Afghanistan at the Holkar Stadium in Indore, securing a 2-0 lead in the three-match T20I series.
The victory was fueled by strong performances from Shivam Dube and Yashavi Jaiswal, who both scored well in chasing the 173-run target. Raina, in an interview with Sports18, stressed the importance of Kohli taking on an anchor's role for the team. Kohli, scoring 29 runs off 16 deliveries against Afghanistan, has been under discussion regarding his batting position. Raina suggested that Kohli, known for hitting boundaries and sixes, could be the anchor, especially as he works on improving his strike rate.
"He will be very important (to India's World Cup plans). The biggest question now will be whether Virat Kohli would be willing to play at No. 3? Rohit Sharma wants him to play No. 3 for India; will he follow the template (in the IPL?)...If I am the captain, I’d tell him to do the anchor’s role because he is the kind of player who can hit boundaries and sixes any time he wants," said Raina.
"In this World Cup, we need Virat Kohli to stay in the middle for long. That is more important than his strike rate. We all saw he scored 765 runs in the ODI World Cup. We need him for those pitches. The pitches are not going to be easy; it would be a little tricky with mystery spinners. You might have to find ways to get twos and quick singles if you are not able to get boundaries. One of the top 3 needs to play through 20 overs," added Raina.
Raina further stressed that India would require Kohli's presence on the challenging pitches in the West Indies and the USA, where the T20 World Cup is scheduled. Kohli displayed a strike rate of 181.25 in his first T20I match after nearly 14 months, with his last T20I appearance being in the semi-final of the 2022 T20 World Cup.
