Ex-India Selector Discusses Batter’s Role in One-Day International World Cup, Says “Virat Kohli Will Play…”

The recently completed three-match One-Day International series between India and Bangladesh ended with India suffering a 2-1 loss in the series. Team India will now face Sri Lanka in the 50-over format beginning on January 10.

The likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who are currently being given a break from the Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) that are being played against Sri Lanka, will be participating in the One-Day International series, despite the fact that they have not taken part in the T20Is that have come before it.

The team that will be coached by Rohit Sharma will compete in a total of 35 one-day international matches during the year 2023. These matches are being scheduled in advance of the forthcoming One-Day International World Cup, which will be held in India later this year.

In spite of the fact that Team India’s performance in the T20 World Cup 2022 came to a dismal conclusion, there were some bright spots to take away from the tournament, such as the remarkable comeback made by Virat Kohli.

The top batter, who was in the midst of a dry spell offensively, ended up being the tournament’s leader in run scoring with a total of 296 runs scored in six games.

Former India batter Krishnamachari Srikkanth remarked that Virat Kohli will be playing the role of a “anchor” and will help youngsters like Ishan Kishan to thrive in the team. This statement comes as the teams are getting ready to compete in the 2023 One-Day International World Cup.

“What kind of role clarity do we need to provide for them?” Only take a look at how Ishan Kishan smacks the ball as an example; just lately, he even scored a century and a half.

Do not place any restrictions on these gamers; instead, tell them to go out and play your game. The fact that you need two or three more players that aren’t scared to express themselves freely, similar to Ishan Kishan, is priority number one.

All-rounders, both batting and bowling all-rounders, are needed in this line-up, Srikkanth said in an interview with Star Sports.

“The team ought to have a mix of players consisting of these individuals. And how about one-day internationals? Virat Kohli will play the role of anchor just like Gautam Gambhir did in the past, which is a significant role in the game.

He himself scored a century when Ishan Kishan scored a double century, and he will help other players achieve their full potential in the same way.

It’s all about giving your guys freedom to do what they want, play their game even if they get out, and that’s the mentality the team should have,” he continued.

Ishan Kishan achieved the fastest ever double century in one-day international history when he did it in December versus Bangladesh in the third and final ODI match. He did it in just 126 balls.

Team India went on to score a total of 409/8 in the allotted 50 overs, and they ended up winning the game by a margin of 227 runs.

In the Twenty20 internationals that are now being played between India and Sri Lanka, Team India won the first match by 2 runs but ended up losing the second match by 16 runs after failing to chase down the target score of 207.

On Saturday, Rajkot will play host to the third and final Twenty20 international match. Hardik Pandya, an all-rounder, has been taking charge of Team India in the Twenty20 International series while Rohit Sharma has been out.