ICC World Cup 2019: Virat Kohli Happy To Play The Middle-Overs Orchestrator Role

Rohit Sharma‘s swashbuckling form in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2019 has forced India skipper Virat Kohli to reinvent his role in the batting order. Kohli has more or less batted as middle-overs orchestrator which he is happy to carry on with, in the semifinal clash against New Zealand on July 9 (Tuesday) at the Old Trafford in Manchester.

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Kohli happy to play as an anchor

India opener Rohit Sharma has set the stage on fire with five centuries and one fifty in the tournament. He has so far scored 647 runs from six matches and is currently the highest run-scorer of the competition. On the other hand, Virat Kohli, who has scored five half-centuries, is yet to register a hundred in the World Cup. He has adapted himself to a different role which Kohli says he is enjoying.

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Addressing the media on the eve of the semifinal, Virat Kohli admitted of playing a different role in the World Cup. He also said that his job to anchor the middle overs and set the stage for the batters to play shots in the death overs. He is looking forward to continue doing his job of holding one end tight and letting the other strike the ball in the semifinals.

“It’s been a different kind of role I have played in this World Cup,” Kohli told reporters at Old Trafford.

“It’s great that Rohit has been scoring so consistently, which means that coming in the latter half of the innings, you have to play a different role, which is controlling the middle overs and letting guys like Hardik (Pandya), Kedar (Jadhav), MS (Dhoni) and Rishabh (Pant) express themselves.

I’ve understood that roles can vary a lot in one day cricket depending on the time you step in to bat and I’ve been very happy holding one end and letting other guys express themselves striking at 150-160 and even 200,” he added.

In conclusion, Virat Kohli said that nobody is focusing on personal milestones and it is the last thing to be in mind for an India skipper who is aiming to win the third World Cup title for his country.

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