Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir has heaped rich praise on star batter Virat Kohli after his knock against Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup 2022. He said that only the former Indian skipper possesses the ability to be both anchor as well and aggressor whereas his counterparts don’t have such skills.
“Virat Kohli is much more than just an anchor,” Gautam Gambhir lauds the batter after his innings against Bangladesh
India pounded Bangladesh by 5 runs to inch one step closer to the semi-final. One of the main architects behind their win was Virat Kohli. The right-hander yet again stepped up for his side and helped them post a good total on the board.
After India lost Rohit Sharma, he first stitched a crucial partnership with KL Rahul, who scored a fluent half-century and then acted as a great support to Suryakumar Yadav, who played a cameo of 30 runs.
But once both Rahul and Suryakumar were back in the hut, Kohli took the charge and smashed Bangladesh bowlers all over the park. In a ground, that he loves to bat, the former Indian skipper batted till the very end and helped India post a total of 184 runs on the board. He scored unbeaten 64 runs and made sure that his side end the innings on high.
Ricky Ponting said "The knock of Virat Kohli vs Pakistan in MCG is one of the best sporting spectacles that I have ever seen in my cricket journey".
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) November 5, 2022
In his innings of 64 runs, Kohli scored 8 fours and 1 six and batted with a strike rate of 145.5. With this knock, he surpassed Mahela Jayawardene to become the highest run-scorer in the history of the tournament.
Following his heroics against Bangladesh, Gautam Gambhir praised him and hailed him for his abilities. Speaking on Star Sports, he said:
“In this batting lineup, Kohli has the role of an aggressor in the final ten overs, alongside being an anchor in the starting. When you see Babar Azam, it is not necessary that you can call them (other players) an anchor. Virat Kohli is much more than just an anchor.
“When the conditions are tough in the first 10 overs of the match and India loses wickets like today, Kohli built a partnership by playing second fiddle to KL Rahul. When Rahul was dismissed, he partnered with Suryakumar Yadav and became the main hero after Suryakumar’s dismissal.”
Kane Williamson, Steve Smith, and Babar Azam don’t have this but Virat Kohli has
Gambhir further compared Kohli with his counterparts in Kane Williamson, Steve Smith, and Babar Azam. He said that only Indian batter has the ability to be aggressor and anchor. Adding to his further statements, he said:
“This is something you can only do when you have the ability. Very less players possess this ability to be both an anchor and an aggressor. Kane Williamson, Steve Smith, and Babar Azam don’t have this but Virat Kohli has.”
Virat Kohli after his knock against Bangladesh also became the leading run-getter in the T20 World Cup 2022 with 220 runs at 220 average with 3 fifties in 4 innings.
Hafeez said "The most valuable batter in the T20 World Cup 2022 is Virat Kohli".
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) November 5, 2022
