Virat Kohli is in great form, don't judge based on IPL, says Dilip Vengsarkar

Virat Kohli’s India won a historic series in Australia, beating the Kangaroos by 2-1 in the Test and as well as ODI series. They followed it up with three consecutive victories against New Zealand before the skipper was rested and finally ended up with an emphatic 4-1 win against New Zealand. However, the season did not end as per plans, as India were comprehensively defeated 3-2 by Australia at home, in spite of winning the first two matches. 

Coming into the Indian Premier League, the number one ranked ODI batsman has looked out of sorts, ending with returns of 203 in six matches, well below his high standards, and his team has had a forgettable outing of six consecutive losses until now. However, former chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar opines that a player cannot be judged on the basis of his performance in the cash-rich league, and went on to heap praise on Kohli, terming his form as excellent.

"IPL performances cannot be the criteria to judge anyone. Virat is in excellent form. He is one of the great batsmen of all time and, as a captain, he is evolving. Once you put your faith in him, you must back him 100%. He has done well in Tests and ODIs," said Vengsarkar, reported TOI.

Speaking on India’s chances in the upcoming World Cup in the United Kingdom, Vengsarkar was positive about India’s chances to at least reach the semi-finals. The former top-order batsman spoke highly of the Indian bowling attack comprising three certain pacers Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami. He singled out Bumrah and stated that his bowling will give India an advantage in the death overs, something India’s attack had been lacking in the previous years. 

"India have a chance to reach the last four. We have the best (bowling) attack so far. If we compare our attack to the previous teams at the World Cup, this is better than ever. That's why we have hope. When India did badly, it was because of the last 10 overs where we were unable to contain the rival batsmen. Now, with (Jasprit) Bumrah and the others, it's formidable," the 63 year old stated.

Over the last few years, India have been overly reliant of the top three of their batting order, the likes of Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. But ‘Colonel’, as he was fondly called, remarked that the other batsmen will also have to contribute in order to take India through.

"Virat is in great form. Rohit remains a class act. But you cannot depend on these two batsmen alone. The others must contribute too. If they get out early, there will be pressure on the others. They should be able to sustain the pressure,” he asserted.

Vengsarkar also joined the discussion of the much-debated number four spot. India have tried out various contenders for the spot, with the most recent ones being Ambati Rayudu, Vijay Shankar and Rishabh Pant, but none of them has made the spot their own. The former player also mentioned a few other names that he thinks would be suited for the spot.

"There are a lot of them who are good enough. KL Rahul or Ajinkya Rahane are good, then there is Mayank Agarwal who did so well in Australia. I am surprised that he is not around. These three could be good choices but don't judge anyone based on what they do in the IPL," he concluded.

India’s 15 man World Cup squad is due to be picked up on April 15. The second-ranked team will play their first match of the quadrennial event against South Africa, on June 5.