Change In Format And Past Performance Would Certainly Give Virat Kohli And Rohit Sharma Confidence: Sanjay Bangar

Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar on Wednesday reckoned the change in format and their past exploits in ODIs could bring glad tidings for the struggling duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the series against England and the Champions Trophy. Both Kohli and Rohit have struggled in recent times, including in the Test series against New Zealand at home and in the marquee Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, raising questions about their future in international cricket. While star batter Kohli was dismissed eights times to deliveries outside the off stump in Australia, the Indian captain managed just 31 runs in five innings and decided to drop himself for the final Test in Sydney.

“See, both these players will go down as the best white ball players of all times.

If you make a list of all-time greats in 50-over cricket, they are automatic choices. So, the format and their past performances would certainly give them a lot of confidence in the way they would approach,” Bangar, a Star Sports Network expert, said during an interaction organised by the broadcasters.

“So, I mean, how would Rohit approach at the top of the innings is something which will be very interesting because he’s had a run of low scores. So, once you see maybe one innings or so, or maybe two innings, then we will have an idea as to the approach that both these players will be taking into the 50-over format.

“And the assessment will have to be not only the ODI series, but also the Champions Trophy. So, we will have a real insight, a clear insight in their approach.” Ahead of his much-anticipated Ranji Trophy comeback, Kohli had also summoned Bangar to help him out with his batting during a special net session.

Bangar was feeding Kohli with throwdown from 16 yards with focus on playing the rising deliveries on the backfoot. A portable cement slab (with attached wheels) was placed at the back of length (mid-pitch between 8-10m length) to feed the batter with back of length deliveries that rise steeply.

However, Bangar did not divulge anything about his special session with the struggling batting maestro.

Backing KL Rahul to get the nod

Bangar, the former India all-rounder, has backed KL Rahul to wear the big gloves ahead of Rishabh Pant in the team’s forthcoming engagements.

“If you cast your mind back to the way KL Rahul has performed not only as a batsman, but also as a wicketkeeper. Some of the catches and the way he kept in the (2023) World Cup was simply fabulous.

“Rishabh Pant, no doubt, is a very, very exciting talent. But currently, I believe that the team would start with KL in the lineup based on the performances that he’s given in the middle overs as well as his exploits as a wicketkeeper,” Bangar believed.

No replacement for Bumrah

In the event lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah misses out with an injury, the middle overs will become critical from India’s point of view with spinners like Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy probably operating during that phase.

“In the absence of Bumrah, the bowling will have to depend on other aspects, maybe a Kuldeep Yadav doing a lot of damage in the middle overs. Or for that matter, I also see that Varun Chakravorty has been included.

“So, in case Bumrah is unavailable, then they may want to push the teams back through the middle overs so that in the last 10 overs, they may not have to face situations wherein the team would generally be dependent on Bumrah sort of a situation.

“Jasprit Bumrah’s absence cannot be filled by any bowler at the moment.”

‘Siraj omission surprising’

Bangar said he was a bit surprised to see pacer Mohammed Siraj not figuring in the ODI setup considering Bumrah has an injury scare.

“It is always a little bit risky to categorize players that they can only be very effective in a particular phase. So, yes, to answer your question, I am a little bit surprised as to how Siraj was part of the winning team as well because some of the games he did really well in the middle overs as well.

“The game against Pakistan in Ahmedabad comes to my mind wherein he came and he broke the partnership. So, I feel that he has been India’s prime bowler. Even if you remember the Asia Cup, he took a fifer for just close to nothing against Sri Lanka in the finals.

“I think a quality player is a quality player irrespective of the phase.”

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