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Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma believes that Team India openers cannot afford to go ahead with their new counter-attacking approach in their upcoming T20 World Cup 2022 game against South Africa on Sunday, October 30.
During a discussion on India News, Sharma emphasized that the Indian openers must safeguard their wickets during the powerplay overs, given South Africa's impressive pace bowling attack. He opined that Rohit Sharma and Co. have the firepower to up the ante in the latter stages against the Proteas.
He explained:
"India will have to change their template against South Africa. We must ensure that we don't lose any wickets in the powerplay overs. The openers should look to start a bit more cautiously, like how they used to do in earlier matches."
The veteran coach highlighted that the pitch in Perth will be conducive to fast bowling. Sharma noted that South Africa have a formidable bowling attack that could pose a tough challenge for the Men in Blue, adding:
"South Africa know that India are a very strong team. But they will feel a bit more confident as the match is in Perth. We have seen signs of old Perth this time around, considering the amount of bounce the bowlers have got. They have quality fast bowlers in their lineup. India should beware of the South African pacers."
Notably, South African bowlers came up with a dominating performance in their previous fixture of the T20 World Cup 2022, bundling out Bangladesh for a paltry score of 101. Speedster Anrich Nortje was the pick of the bowlers, bagging four scalps while conceding just 10 runs.
India and South Africa will battle it out in the 30th match of the ongoing showpiece event. The much-awaited game is set to be played at the Perth Stadium.
"They complement each other well" - Rajkumar Sharma on Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav
Sharma further explained how Suryakumar Yadav's presence has allowed Virat Kohli to play the role of the anchor. He stated Suryakumar's ability to score runs at a frantic pace has allowed Kohli to take his time to get set.
Speaking about Kohli's T20 game, the 57-year-old mentioned that the right-handed batter focusses on accumulating singles and doubles when he is new to the crease. He added that the star batter takes the game deep and changes gears as per the situation, elaborating:
"Virat Kohli is the type of player who likes to take his time early on and builds his knock with singles and doubles. His strike rate tends to improve significantly towards the backend of the innings as he accelerates during that period.
"He has the freedom to play the anchor's role because Suryakumar Yadav plays attacking shots right from the word go. They complement each other well."
Kohli and Suryakumar dazzled viewers with their unbeaten 95-run partnership against the Netherlands on Thursday, October 27. The two batters have showcased tremendous form with the bat in recent outings and will be key for the Men in Blue as they look to lay their hands on the coveted trophy.
