Virat Kohli was trying to hit boundaries from ball number one in England to adapt India’s new 'philosophy', states Sanjay Manjrekar

08/12/2022

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Sanjay Manjrekar has lauded Virat Kohli for his recent batting approach in England where he tried to smack boundaries in the T20Is right after walking down the middle. Manjrekar said Kohli should be given a lot of credit for doing that in England, primarily because he is not in his best of forms.

The Indian cricket team has certainly found a new batting template in the shortest format of the game ahead of the next T20 World Cup, scheduled to be played in Australia later this year. Similar to England's approach, they have started to attack right from the beginning of an innings. They don't care for losing wickets anymore. All they want to seek is to score more runs as possible.

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Virat Kohli, who loves to take some time to settle himself at the crease, was seen doing the same in the recent T20I series in England. However, he did not enjoy a lot, aggregating 12 runs from the opening two T20Is before being left out in the third. Still, Sanjay Manjrekar believes it was courageous from Kohli to bat like that, especially when his form is not at his best.

“He (Kohli) didn't care about whether he was getting runs or whether he was getting out because he desperately needed runs in England and he is looking for international runs but he still sort of backed up the Indian team's new philosophy. He was trying to hit boundaries from ball number one," Manjrekar told Sports18's show 'Sports Over the Top'.

"They should celebrate because the class is back. Virat Kohli has had some first-hand experience of this new approach of India in T20 cricket in England. So he has embraced that, not with great success, but he has embraced that. You have got to give credit to Virat Kohli."

Kohli will be back in action in India's forthcoming Asia Cup campaign, starting on August 27.