IND vs USA: Virat Kohli to be demoted? Ambati Rayudu, Piyush Chawla share their views after star batter's failures as opener

Virat Kohli's batting position in the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 has become a major talking point. The Indian team management sprung a big surprise by promoting Kohli as the opener for the tournament.

The move came after the former India skipper's stunning show in the IPL. Kohli was in brilliant form in this year's IPL and finished the competition as the highest run-scorer while opening the innings. While no other batter could even touch the 600-run mark, he scored 741 runs with the help of one century and five centuries. Kohli also received praise for showing more intent with the bat.

The star batter has faced criticism in recent months for his strike-rate but did well in the IPL where he had a strike-rate of almost 155. Following the impressive IPL campaign, he was promoted as an opener for Team India too for the ongoing T20 World Cup.

However, the move has not really paid off so far. In the first game against Ireland, he was out for 1 run off 5 balls. Kohli stepped out to play a big shot but ended up miscuing the shot to the fielder at third man. In the second game against Pakistan, he scored 4 runs before hitting one straight to the fielder at covers.

Ambati Rayudu and Piyush Chawla on Virat Kohli's batting position:

With Virat Kohli failing to impress with the bat in the first two games, there have been calls from several quarters to let him bat at his usual number three spot. However, former India cricketers Ambati Rayudu and Piyush Chawla believe otherwise.

Speaking on Star Sports, both the players heaped praise on Kohli for showing such positive intent with the bat and stated that a big knock is just around the corner for the batting superstar.

"I don't think the combination should be disturbed at this time, especially when Virat Kohli is batting with such intent. In the last match, he played a cover drive, and the shot on which he got out was also good. His intent is amazing, and if he plays the whole World Cup with this same intent, he and Rohit will win one-sided matches for India," said Rayudu.

On the other hand, Chawla said: "Virat is a batsman who has batted on every pitch in the world and in every difficult condition. And in those two matches where he got out, just look at his intent. The intent is very good.

"T20 is a format where sometimes things don't go in your favor, but in the 4-5 balls you play, it becomes clear what form you're in. Some opposition players who scored 30 runs never seemed positive. But here, even though he got out, the intent, and the way the ball is hitting the middle of the bat, shows that he is in form," he added.

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