Due to ICC’s pre-seeding rules, the India vs Australia clash has been pre-decided for the T20 World Cup Super 8 stage. India triumphed over co-hosts USA in their T20 World Cup fixture in New York on Thursday. Chasing a target of 111, India reached 111/3 in 18.2 overs, thanks to an unbeaten half-century by Suryakumar Yadav. The MI star scored an unbeaten 50 off 49 balls. In USA’s bowling department, Saurabh Netravalkar took two wickets. Earlier, USA posted 110/8 in their 20 overs, with Nitish Kumar top-scoring with 27 off 23 balls. Arshdeep Singh starred for India with a four-wicket haul.
Sunil Gavaskar has weighed in on Virat Kohli’s recent string of single-digit scores in the T20 World Cup. With three consecutive low scores, Kohli finds himself in a rare slump. However, Gavaskar cautions against reading too much into it, as it’s still the league stage. Despite Kohli’s brilliant IPL performance, where he secured the Orange Cap for the second time, his role as an opener for Team India hasn’t gone as planned.
When You Get 3 Low Scores…’: Gavaskar Addresses Virat Kohli’s Motivation Amid Unusual Form Slump at T20 World Cup
The last time Kohli opened in a T20I before the World Cup was in early 2021. The pitches in the USA, vastly different from those in the IPL, haven’t suited his batting style. This mismatch might suggest that pairing him with Rohit Sharma at the top was a short-sighted decision. Despite these challenges, India has qualified for the Super Eights, and Gavaskar remains confident that Kohli will soon regain his form. The former India captain, once a critic of Kohli, believes that it’s only a matter of time before Kohli starts delivering strong performances again.
The biggest motivation for any player is to win matches, especially when playing for your country. Virat has performed exceptionally well for India over the years, winning numerous games. I believe he understands this. We are still in the early stages of the tournament, with the Super 8s, semi-finals, and hopefully the final ahead. All he needs to do is show patience and have faith in himself, which I believe he has in abundance,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports after the match.
