T20 WC brand ambassador Yuvraj backs Rohit & Virat in squad
Karthik started the last T20 World Cup in Australia as India’s designated keeper before losing his spot ahead of the team’s semifinal defeat to England.
Former Australia spinner Brad Hogg has picked India skipper Virat Kohli over country’s opener Rohit Sharma because of the captain’s consistency in big run chases.
“Well, Virat Kohli, because he’s more consistent when India have the big run chases. When India are batting second, he stands up and delivers,” Hogg said in a Cricket Q&A video posted on his YouTube channel.
In chases in ODIs, Kohli’s records are phenomenal. He has already amassed 5388 runs at an average of 96.21 across 86 innings in the matches where he has helped India reach the target.
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In run-chases, many have picked Kohli over legendary India batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who scored 5490 runs at an average of 55.45 across 124 innings in successful ODI run chases before calling time on his international career in 2013.
Kohli, in a Facebook live session with Bangladesh opening batsman Tamim Iqbal last month, had revealed about his mindset during run-chases.
“When it comes to chasing targets, my mental state is simple — if someone says something to me from the opposition side, then I get more motivated,” Kohli said.
“When I was younger, I used to watch matches on television. If India did not end up winning the match while chasing targets, I used to think if I was there, I would have won the match,” he added.
Kohli’s overall records, especially in the white-ball formats, are staggering. The classy right-hander averages above 50 in all forms of international cricket. In Tests, he has scored 7240 runs at an average of 53.62 and in ODIs, he has scored 11867 runs at an average of almost 60. In the shortest format, Kohli has played 82 matches in which he has scored 2794 runs.
Kohli is constantly rated as the best batsman in the world because of his adaptability to different situations and different formats.
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