The ever-evolving format of T20 cricket has given players, fans, coaches, and even pundits plenty to think about the approach that batters need to have to excel in this fast-paced game. The likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, two of the greatest batters of their generation, have seen questions being raised over their performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. While Rohit is struggling for runs, the problem for Kohli is more on the lines of strike-rate. Having seen players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Suryakumar Yadav set the stage on fire with their bat, former India cricketer Saba Karim gave his honest take on the shortest format fo the game.
In the game between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore on Tuesday, Surya’s mind-boggling 83 off 35 balls blew Kohli’s team apart. On Thursday, Rajasthan Royals’s Jaiswal scored a 13-ball 50 en route an unbeaten 98-run knock against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Seeing the two attacking batters perform, Karim said that the T20 format has ‘moved on’ from players like Kohli and Rohit.
“When one sees Jaiswal and SKY bat, it is amply clear that T20 game has moved on from Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli!!,” he wrote on Twitter.
When one sees Jaiswal and SKY bat, it is amply clear that T20 game has moved on from Rohit sharma and Virat Kohli!!@anilkumble1074 @bhogleharsha
— Syed Saba Karim (@SyedSabaKarim5) May 11, 2023
Both Kohli and Rohit have had their fair share of criticism this season. Despite the Mumbai Indians batter’s poor contribution with the bat, though, the franchise is posing a strong challenge for playoffs progression.
Royal Challengers Bangalore, on the other hand, find themselves in a desperate situation to finish the league campaign in top four, despite runs coming in heavily from the bats of Virat Kohli and skipper Faf du Plessis.
While Rohit remains optimistic of regaining form soon, Kohli has been quite dismissive of the questions that have been raised on the role of an ‘anchor’. With the next T20 World Cup supposed to be held in West Indies in 2024, it would be interesting to see if both Kohli and Rohit remain in the scheme of things, as far as national selection goes for the shortest format.
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