"He's relying on other players to get him through" - Brad Hogg warns Virat Kohli as India star struggles in T20 World Cup

India star Virat Kohli has received a timely warning from former Australia spinner Brad Hogg as he continues to face the heat for his poor display in the T20 World Cup so far.

The former India skipper has not really managed to live up to the expectations in the ninth edition of the T20 World Cup so far. After finishing IPL 2024 as the highest run-scorer, Virat Kohli was promoted to open the innings in the T20 World Cup for the very first time in his career. However, he has failed to justify the decision so far.

In three games, he has managed to score only 5 runs. In the first game against Ireland where India were chasing 97 runs, Virat Kohli departed after scoring just 1 run off 5 balls. In the second game against Pakistan, India were batting first and the onus was on the senior batter to give the team a good start.

However, he could not deliver with the bat and was out for only 4. It was followed by another failure against the USA as he was dismissed for a golden duck. Even though Virat Kohli is one of the most decorated batters of his generation, his three failures in a row in a tournament like the World Cup have made many criticize him.

Brad Hogg's warning for Virat Kohli:

As Virat Kohli looks to regain his form in the Super 8s, Brad Hogg has said the India batting superstar needs to step up in the Caribbeans after his struggles in America. He also warned Kohli to be wary of the left-arm pacers such as Mitchell Starc. Kohli has struggled against left-arm pacers in the past and his weakness was recently exposed by USA's Saurabh Netravalkar as well.

"Yeah, I think he's just in America. I think he's relying on the other players to get him through there. But I think he's really got to step up over in the Caribbean. And I think the likes of Mitchell Starc and other left-arm bowlers bowling to Virat Kohli, he'll be looking for that ball to come in. The one, the straight one is the one, it worries me because he's been playing away from his body a little bit of late," Hogg told Star Sports.

Speaking further, Hogg also backed Kohli to do well in the Super 8s. The former spinner concluded by backing Kohli and his opening partner Rohit Sharma to enjoy big stands in the Caribbeans. He also warned Team India against tinkering with the opening combination for the time being.

"But I just think he'll be a lot more focused on the super eights and I think we're going to see the best of Virat Kohli. He's gonna finish off this World Cup in style. And I think both Rohit and Virat Kohli are going to have some big partnerships down there in the Caribbean, and it's very important that you do make the most of the power play, especially against fast bowling because it's going to slow up in those middle overs.

"Spin is really going to take control. So, if you really take the pressure off that middle order by really executing well at the power play, I think you'll give yourselves or that you'll give your team the best chance of winning. And I think this combination, don't break it up, especially going to the Super 8s. There's too much experience there now," he said.

India will be starting their Super 8s campaign on June 20 by locking horns against Afghanistan in Barbados.