"Virat Kohli Is Playing Freely Since He Has Quit His Captaincy," Says Amit Mishra Ahead Of India-Australia 1st ODI
Published - 22 Sep 2023, 02:08 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:19 AM
Former Indian leg-spinner Amit Mishra believes that ace cricketer Virat Kohli’s batting has benefited from stepping down from the captaincy of the national team. Amit Mishra stated that Virat Kohli is now playing more freely, focusing only on his batting performance.
Virat Kohli resigned from the captaincy in the shorter format before the T20 World Cup 2021. The BCCI removed him from his ODI captaincy, citing that they didn’t want two captains in white-ball cricket. He stepped down from the Test captaincy in January 2022.
Virat Kohli Is Now Focussing And Concentrating On His Batting – Amit Mishra
In an interview with TimesofIndia.com, Amit Mishra said that Virat Kohli has returned to his best form in batting, similar to his performance before his lean patch in international cricket.
“He is playing freely. Since he has quit his captaincy and Rohit became the captain, Virat is playing freely. He is now focussing and concentrating on his batting. With this, there is a lot of improvement in his batting,” Mishra told Timesofindia.com.
“When you are a captain, you have to focus on both aspects – your team and your batting. Now Virat is no longer a captain and his sole focus is on his batting. Since he left the captaincy, his batting has improved. He is the same Virat we saw a few years back [before the lean phase]. He is giving the same glimpse.”
“Virat is enjoying his batting, scoring runs, always smiling, having fun on the field, and speaking to other team members. He is in a very good frame of mind currently,” Mishra added.
World Cup Is Very Important For Them – Amit Mishra
Amit Mishra emphasized the importance of resting players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma ahead of the World Cup. He mentioned that this break allows them to prepare mentally and physically for the World Cup.
“Ahead of a big tournament like the World Cup, big players should be given rest so that they can recharge themselves and get themselves ready, especially mentally. They can sit, think, and plan for a big tournament like the World Cup. They need to be relaxed, focused, and mentally charged up for the World Cup,” Mishra further stated.
“This break was very important for them because they will be getting a lot of mental stress in the World Cup. So, this break was important for them. Virat and Rohit have been rested so that they can be mentally and physically ready for the World Cup. The World Cup is very important for them,” he concluded.
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and Kuldeep Yadav have been rested for the first two ODIs in the three-match series against Australia. These players will return to the squad for the third and final ODI.
