Virat Kohli plays the role of senior player in team India: Nikhil Chopra

It was a good outing for the Men in Blue on Wednesday, August 31, as India confirmed their berth in the Super Four of the Asia Cup 2022 by defeating Hong Kong in the Group A fixture. Though the win was very much anticipated, the game proved to be a special one for Virat Kohli, who showed good composure with the bat and gave hopes of returning to form with his unbeaten knock of 59*(44).

This was Kohli’s personal best in T20Is since January 2022 and while the world was waiting for him to bounce back stronger, he proved to everyone why he is the best in business. Fans and experts from around the world were very happy seeing Kohli play like that, and former India cricketer Nikhil Chopra was one among the many who heaped praises on the senior batter.

While speaking on BatBricks7 Presents Run Ki Runneeti show on CricTracker, Chopra mentioned the importance of havin Kohli on the side, and also explained about the role he portrays in the team while batting in the top-order lineup.

“Virat Kohli plays the role of a senior player in the team. He comes in at No. 3, and the role of the player, batting in that position, is to carry the batting lineup like a unit. What I feel is that Virat Kohli will stick by in the game till the 15^th or 16^th over, and he will let his partner on the other end take charge and express his game with full freedom. That’s the mentality,” said Chopra.

It is a game plan that the Indian team is trying to execute in various ways: Chopra

The game against Hong Kong was not just special for Kohli, but it was a memorable outing for Suryakumar Yadav too, who formed a massive 98-run partnership with Kohli for the third wicket as India posted a big total of 192/2 in the first innings. The Kohli-Yadav duo put up a brilliant show on display and contributed massively towards India’s win.

“It is a game plan that the Indian team is trying to execute in various ways. Rohit Sharma had earlier mentioned that they would keep trying different combinations in the game and have a different style of thinking in the tournament. It is good to see the youngsters getting a chance. Like in yesterday’s game- on one end you had Virat and Suryakumar Yadav was expressing himself brilliantly on the other end,” Chopra added.