Published 15:48 IST, May 24th 2023
IPL 2023: Rohit Sharma completely disagrees with Virat Kohli's view on anchor role in T20s
Ahead of the MI vs LSG Eliminator Rohit Sharma shared some insights about the role on an anchor batsman and it is completely different to Virat Kohli's theory
- SportFit
- 3 min read
IPL 2023: Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are two icons of global cricket who have dominated the sport for more than a decade across formats and have been dreaded by the opposition. When on song, both Kohli and Rohit can rip oppositions apart at their own will and can make them pay irrespective of the bowling quality. Rohit and Virat bat at different positions for India but their playing style is very similar. They start slow, get their eyes in, and then explode, the manner in which they convert their strike rate and up the ante is something that all the budding cricketers want to take inspiration from but recently, their batting style in the shortest format of the game has come under a lot scrutiny, especially after the hammering that England dished out to India in the semi-finals of the 2022 T20 World Cup.
Notably, the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) has handed over the reins of T20 cricket to Hardik Pandya as he and his young India side slowly and steadily build towards mission 2024, the next T20 World Cup. Many cricketing pundits have labeled India's style of playing T20 cricket as 'outdated' and the Indian team management is working hard to change that before the next T20 World Cup. Earlier in April 2023, Virat Kohli came out, addressed his critics, and stressed the fact that there is always a need for an anchor batsman in the shorter format of the game, but now, ahead of the IPL 2023 playoffs, Rohit Sharma has come out and it seems that he disagrees with Kohli.
READ MORE: Detailed Analysis Of Shubman Gill And Virat Kohli's Numbers In IPL 2023
Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma while speaking to JioCinemas said:
No role of anchor in T20 now unless a team is 20/3 which is not going to happen everyday. If you don't change your mindset, you are going to get smashed as the opposition takes the game to the next level. I like playing the way I am currently but I want to try different things.
Virat Kohli earlier in the IPL 2023 was criticized by New Zealand broadcaster Simon Doull for his slow strike rate. The Kiwi broadcaster blamed Virat and said that he was playing for a personal milestone and he slowed down against spinners at the Chinnaswamy in a match against Lucknow Super Giants.
Kohli addressed the issue and while speaking to JioCinema said:
Yeah for sure (important anchor role). I completely agree with that, There are many people who because they have not been in that situation themselves, look at the game differently. Suddenly when the powerplay is done, they will be like 'Oh, they have started rotating the strike'. When you haven't lost a wicket in the powerplay, usually the best player comes on to bowl, you are trying to figure out what to do against him in the first two overs, so that you can get big ones in the last two overs of that guy and then rest of the innings become much easier.
Virat Kohli has played 115 T20I games for India and has scored 4008 runs at an average of 52.74 and with a decent strike rate of 137.97. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma has played 148 T20Is for India and has scored 3853 runs at an average of 30.82 and with a strike rate of 139.25. As of now both Kohli and Rohit's future in the Indian team continues to remain in jeopardy and it is to be seen how their T20I career for the Indian team goes after the conclusion of IPL 2023.
Updated 18:46 IST, May 24th 2023