World Cup 2023 News: Team India’s star batsman Virat Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma is hopeful that Virat Kohli and the Indian team will perform brilliantly in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 starting in India from October 5. Rajkumar Sharma expressed hope that the way Virat Kohli has batted in the last 8 months.
World Cup 2023: Team India’s star batsman Virat Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma is hopeful that Virat Kohli and the Indian team will perform brilliantly in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 starting in India from October 5. Rajkumar Sharma expressed hope that the way Virat Kohli has batted in the last 8 months, he will continue that rhythm in the World Cup as well. Rajkumar Sharma said that the Indian team has also picked up the rhythm at the right time and after removing all its shortcomings, it is the strongest contender for the title.
‘Only Virat Kohli will make India win the World Cup’
Virat Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma said, ‘I hope that Virat Kohli will do well in the World Cup. He is in great form and has made the Indian team win many matches in the last six-eight months. Everyone knows about his ability. He has been continuously contributing to the Indian team for the last 15 years.’ This year, Virat Kohli has scored 612 runs in 13 innings of 16 ODI matches with the help of three centuries and two half-centuries. During this period, Virat Kohli’s average has been more than 55.
The coach revealed the biggest reason
Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma said, ‘Virat is very strong mentally right now and seems very comfortable batting with a positive attitude.’ The years 2020, 2021 and 2022 were very disappointing for Kohli. During this period, he scored 862 runs in 23 ODI innings at an average of 37, in which there is only one century.
Kohli is known for scoring big
Rajkumar Sharma said, ‘Kohli was batting well at that time too, unfortunately he was not able to convert his starts into big innings. He is known for scoring big after reaching 30-40 runs. The performance was not according to the standards he had set for himself. I was not worried even at that time, because his batting was going well.
Bumrah’s return brought sharpness in fast bowling
Kohli’s childhood coach said that the Indian team has found its rhythm at the right time for the World Cup and the Rohit Sharma-led team has overcome every flaw before the tournament. He said, ‘At present India has the best fast bowling attack in the world. With the return of Bumrah, fast bowling has become sharper. His bowling gives a lot of balance to the team. Earlier there was concern in the middle order but now there seems to be no problem there either. These concerns have been dispelled with the return of Shreyas Iyer and his excellent batting in the series against Australia.
Indian team caught the momentum at the right time
Iyer played innings of 105 and 48 runs in the last two matches of the series against Australia. Sharma said, ‘It is very good that you have many options for the middle order. This is good for any captain. I believe that the Indian team has picked up the rhythm at the right time. It is almost certain that Shreyas will get a place in the final 11. He has been batting at fourth position after Virat and the same should happen in the World Cup.
Include Mohammed Shami in place of Shardul Thakur
Kohli’s childhood coach advised to include Mohammed Shami in place of Shardul Thakur in the playing eleven. He said, ‘Shami is an aggressive bowler, who keeps taking wickets at regular intervals. I believe it would be better to have him in their final 11. Dealing with the trio of Shami, Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will pose a big challenge for any rival team.
It is not right to expect runs from the number eight batsman.
Kohli’s childhood coach said, ‘With Shardul, the batting gets a little strength, but I feel that the Indian batting is so strong that his talent is hardly needed. It is also not right to expect runs from the number eight batsman in ODIs. India’s top order is very strong. The team should go with Shami only.’ The Indian team will start its World Cup campaign against Australia on October 8 in Chennai. Before this, the team has to take the field in two practice matches against England (30 September, Guwahati) and Netherlands (3 October, Thiruvananthapuram).
