Ravi Shastri gave important advice to Virat Kohli, said- maintain the pace of the innings after achieving the rhythm
New Delhi. Former India coach Ravi Shastri on Monday advised Virat Kohli that after getting off to a good start, he should not worry about other batsmen and let his innings slow down. The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batsman batted at one end to anchor the innings in the team’s last encounter in the Indian Premier League. He scored 55 runs in 46 balls but later his batting was criticized as it left the team almost 20 runs short.
This was Kohli’s sixth half-century of the season. When Shastri was asked in the program whether Kohli was forced to bat till the end due to RCB’s poor batting, he said that the India legend should not worry about other batsmen. Shastri said, “Once you get the rhythm, don’t change your game, don’t worry about others. My message to Virat would be to let them (other batsmen) do their job. You don’t need so many batsmen in a T20 match. If you are in form then continue batting in your own way.
“A good example of this was Phil Salt,” he said. You saw the way he batted. Once he got the rhythm, he didn’t let go.” Referring to Salt’s match-winning 87 off 45 balls, Shastri said, “It took the pressure off the other batsmen. Be it Marsh or Rousseau, they too were batting aggressively with complete freedom. Virat should also adopt a similar approach. If he has found the rhythm, don’t change your pace.” Asked about Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma, Shastri said his lack of contribution with the bat is affecting his captaincy as well.
Rohit has scored only 184 runs in 10 matches. He said, “If you are scoring runs then the job becomes very easy as a captain. When your bat is moving, the body language changes on the field, there is a different level of energy on the field. On the contrary, when you are not able to score runs, then there is a lack of enthusiasm. “He said,” As a captain, it is important that your personal performance is also good. This team can become a strong team in the coming two-three years, but it is the responsibility of the captain to combine them properly.
