Former England captain Michael Vaughan feels that the upcoming ODI series will be crucial for Virat Kohli who has been going through a rough patch with the bat. After clinching the T20I series 2-1, Rohit Sharma and Co. will lock horns against England in three-match ODI series starting from Tuesday.
The spotlight will be once again on Kohli who had an underwhelming run with the bat this year. The former India captain also failed in the recently concluded T20I series against England where he tried to embrace the fearless approach and was dismissed on 1 and 11 in the last two T20Is.
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Vaughan said that Kohli is not far off from a special knock as he wants the batting maverick to score runs at a consistent rate.
“The pinnacle point in the series will be Virat. India need Virat back to form. They need him scoring runs. Only a few years ago, we were saying he’s the greatest chaser in white-ball history. I’ve seen glimpses that he is not far off from a real special innings. Hope we see it in the next series. Really want Virat scoring consistent runs,” Vaughan told Cricbuzz.
Chasing the mammoth target of 216 in 3rd T20I, India lost Rishabh Pant early as he failed on his second stint as an opener and was dismissed on 1. Kohli came out to bat at number 3 and he tried to embrace India’s fearless approach with the bat as he looked to hit a big shot despite getting a four and six on the last two balls.
However, he miscued David Willey’s delivery as Jason Roy took a fine catch at the cover which extended his lean patch.
Meanwhile, Kohli played six ODIs this year in which he scored 142 runs at an average of 23.66, while his last ODI century came way back in 2019 which is an alarming sign for him.
The ODI series will be Buttler’s first since taking over as a white-ball skipper from Eoin Morgan. After the T20 disappointment, the hosts will be eager to bounce back strongly. Buttler himself will be looking to make the big scores he is known for, having failed in the T20s.
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