Deep Dasgupta, a former India wicketkeeper, has proposed an intriguing solution to the team’s sixth-bowler dilemma in the T20 World Cup. Due to Hardik Pandya’s inability to complete his quota of overs, Dasgupta has endorsed Virat Kohli to bowl a few more overs. Kohli should seek to come in just after the powerplay or before the death overs, according to him. Deep Dasgupta
Therefore, Kohli should bowl the 7th or 13th over of the innings, according to Dasgupta, because these two overs provide the least number of runs statistically.
“Virat Kohli’s bowling could be an option if needed if you’re thinking outside the box. Virat Kohli himself must be careful as to when he introduces himself into the attack like in the 7th or the 13th over. Generally, if you look at the statistics, these two overs do not go for many runs.” he said
However, In the warm-up match against Australia, Virat Kohli bowled two overs. He has also bowled in the T20 World Cup in the past. In the 2016 World Cup semi-final against the West Indies, he rolled his arm over, dismissing Johnson Charles.
Hardik Pandya
The possibility of Hardik Pandya being unable to bowl has raised various concerns about the team’s composition. One possibility is to bring in Shardul Thakur, who is coming off a strong Test performance in England as well as a strong second leg of the IPL.
“Shardul Thakur according to me, is more suited to batting at No.8 but No.7 might be one step ahead for him. If India is going with 5 bowlers, I think 3 of them should be pacers. It gives the side a lot more flexibility while using Chakravarthy and Bumrah’s overs.” He added
Therefore, Thakur has shown his worth as a batsman in the longer format, but the expectations and skill set necessary for T20 cricket are quite different. Thus, His ability to pick up wickets at important times is a plus, but his participation will mean that either Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s experience or Hardik Pandya’s elegance would be sacrificed.
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