Virat Kohli will score runs irrespective of the skipper he plays under: Sunil Gavaskar

Legendary former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar backed Virat Kohli and expects him to be back amongst runs soon irrespective of whether he plays under Rohit Sharma or some other captain. After being ousted from ODI captaincy, there have been a lot of speculations over Kohli’s involvement in the field, his body language, etc.

The right-handed batter came out all guns blazing in the first ODI, hitting the first two deliveries he faced for boundaries before being dismissed by Alzarri Joseph when he was caught in the deep after being unable to control a pull shot. Speaking about the no.3 not being able to score big runs, Gavaskar said:

“Today Kohli didn’t get runs but he will get runs whether he is playing under Rohit Sharma or anybody else, he will score runs for India,” Gavaskar was quoted saying in the post-match discussion on Star Sports after India’s six-wicket victory on Sunday.

Sunil Gavaskar dismissed reports about the rift between Virat-Rohit

“Why would they (Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli) not be getting along? They are playing for India. All these talks that you generally hear about two players not gelling are always speculations… According to reliable sources, allegedly, reportedly,” Gavaskar said when asked about the camaraderie between Kohli and Rohit. The current and the former skipper were seen celebrating the wicket of the Windies skipper Keiron Pollard together with great joy.

“This has been happening for years, this not happening for the first time. The guys who are involved, don’t even bother about it. You wouldn’t even bother about such speculations because you know what is the truth. Then often there is that speculation that a former captain who is now a player in the team will not try his best because he doesn’t want the new captain to succeed. That is not the case because if he doesn’t score or pick wickets, is going to be out of the team. So, all these talks are just speculations. People who have got nothing better to do tend to try and create stories,” he added.

Virat Kohli’s excellent contribution on the field

If not with the bat, Kohli made his presence felt in the ground by providing the current skipper Rohit Sharma and bowlers with vital inputs. In the 20th over, Kohli suggested Chahal to bowl the wrong one to West Indies captain Kieron Pollard first up, which the leg-spinner followed to dismiss Pollard for a golden duck. In the 22nd over, Kohli persuaded captain Rohit Sharma to go for the DRS when Shamarh Brooks was given not out by the on-field umpire. UltraEdge confirmed that there was an outside edge and Chahal got another wicket.