Virat Kohli Should Play Freely Go And Express Himself In The T20Is: VVS Laxman

Indian captain Virat Kohli might be one of the most celebrated and the most-looked-forward to cricketers today; however, his recent performances do not suggest. Not only has Virat Kohli scored a hundred in more than a year, but he also registered a couple of ducks in the recently concluded Test series against England. Ahead of the five-match T20I rubber against the same opponent, VVS Laxman believes that the skipper should play freely and express himself.

After beating England in the Test series convincingly, Virat Kohli will return to lead the side in the five-match T20I series, starting on Friday. The 32-year old’s form would be crucial to India’s chances against the number one T20 international outfit and probably one of the best white-ball teams in the world. Kohli’s highest score in the Test series was 72, while the closest he has got to a century in the last six months in any cricket was when he struck 89 in the second ODI against Australia.

VVS Laxman termed Virat Kohli as a top-notch batsman and the depth in India’s batting line-up suggests that he should go and express himself. The 46-year old feels that Kohli is not an anchor and a stroke player; thus, he needs to play as such. Laxman further said that if the Indian captain plays with positive intent, not only his strike rate would be high, but also his consistency would be palpable.

“I feel that Virat Kohli is a class batsman, he’s an outstanding batsman and with depth and quality in the Indian batting line-up, I think he should go and express himself. It’s not necessary for him to play the anchor role, because we know that he’s a stroke player. If he plays with positive intent, if he plays his high percentage shots, not only his strike rate will be high, but his consistency also will be there for everyone to see – he’s a match winner,” VVS Laxman stated as quoted by India Today.

Virat Kohli is most dangerous when he plays freely: VVS Laxman

The 134-Test veteran conceded that with Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul at the top, followed by Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, and Hardik Pandya, Kohli must play freely and express himself. Laxman believes that when the right-handed batsman plays with intent, that’s when he’s most dangerous.

“With Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul opening the innings, and then you have got Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, I think they have a lot of depth. So, Virat Kohli should go out and express himself and play with lot of freedom, and that’s when he’s very dangerous,” he added.

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