"I'm not happy"- Batting coach Vikram Rathour on Virat Kohli's poor form in T20 Word Cup 2024

Team India batting coach Vikram Rathour opened up about star batter Virat Kohli's poor form ahead of their Super Eight match against Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup 2024. Vikram Rathour stated that he's not happy over Virat Kohli's lack of runs in the ongoing ICC tournament in the West Indies and the USA.

The Rohit Sharma-led team remains unbeaten in the marquee tournament. The Men in Blue registered three consecutive wins in the group stage before the final match was abandoned without a ball being bowled. They continued their dominance in the Super 8 stage by defeating Afghanistan by 47 runs in Barbados.

However, Virat Kohli has struggled to score runs in the ICC tournament. The right-handed batter failed to reach double-digit figures in the group stage, scoring just five runs in three innings. The 35-year-old batter scored a run-a-ball 24 against Afghanistan in India's first Super 8 stage match on Thursday, June 20.

Would Love It If He Gets Going - Vikram Rathour

At the pre-match press conference, Vikram Rathour said that Virat Kohli's struggles can be beneficial for less experienced players to step up. Rathour appreciated the contributions from the middle order in the recent match.

"I'm not happy. I would love it if he gets going and scores more runs. But yeah, it is good when you are challenged at times," Vikram Rathour was quoted as saying by PTI.

"You know, the guys who are not getting too much of batting in India sometimes, they are the ones who put up scores today and our middle-order came to play. So, it was good to see," he added.

India hopes Virat Kohli, who was their top scorer in the last T20 World Cup, will regain form and contribute in the remaining Super 8 matches, including the crucial game against Australia. The Men in Blue will face Bangladesh at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua, on Saturday, June 22.

They're A Good Unit - Vikram Rathour

Vikram Rathour stated that India will not take Bangladesh lightly, noting that they're a good unit. The 55-year-old acknowledged that Bangladesh has skilled spinners and added that the conditions might favor them.

“They're a good unit. They have a lot of guys who can spin the ball and they are good in certain conditions. And these conditions do suit them a little as a team I think because the wickets seem to have a bit of help for the spinners and they do have spinners in their team."

“But again, in this format, I think every team is a tough team. I don't believe any contest in T20 cricket is an easy contest,” Rathour further added.

Bangladesh suffered a loss to Australia by 28 runs via the DLS method in a rain-curtailed game. The Najmul Hossain Shanto-led team must win their remaining two matches to stay in the race for the semi-finals. They will also be eliminated if they lose their next match against the Rohit Sharma-led team.

Also read: From giant-slayers to world-beaters: Axar Patel makes sensational prediction for Rashid Khan's Afghanistan