Kohli and Sharma to Avoid T20 World Cup Mistakes, Says Manjrekar

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have learned from their mistakes in the T20 World Cup 2022 semifinal against England and will not repeat them in the upcoming edition of the tournament.

In his column for Hindustan Times, Manjrekar pointed out that India's slow batting in the top order, particularly by Kohli and Sharma, contributed to their defeat in the semifinal. However, he believes that both players have evolved as T20 batters since then and will be more aggressive in the 2024 World Cup.

"In the last T20 World Cup two years ago, in the semis against England in Adelaide, India batted first and got only 168 runs in 20 overs, and a shocking 62 in the first 10. The bulk of deliveries in this crucial period were faced by the seniors, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli," Manjrekar wrote.

"Rohit got 27 off 28 balls at a strike rate of 96, while Virat secured 50 off 40 balls at a strike rate of 125, eventually getting out in the 18th over. India had lost the tournament right there."

Manjrekar praised Hardik Pandya for his aggressive batting in that match, but noted that England chased down the target with ease. He believes that Kohli and Sharma will not make the same mistake of batting too slowly in the upcoming World Cup.

"Having said this, we can be sure of one thing. Rohit and Virat will not commit the same mistakes made in that semis," Manjrekar wrote. "It's worth acknowledging that Virat is not the same T20 player he was two years ago. He must know deep down, surely, that the 'outside noise' has actually made him a better T20 batter today than he was two years ago."

Manjrekar also expressed hope that Kohli will not be preoccupied with batting longer rather than batting quicker in the knockout stages of the World Cup.

"For Indian cricket's sake, let's hope this preoccupation is buried deep," he concluded.

Tags: #ViratKohli, #RohitSharma, #T20WorldCup, #SanjayManjrekar, #IndianCricket