IPL 2022: Ravi Shastri looks forward to Virat Kohli vs Sandeep Sharma battle

Ravi Shastri is looking forward to seeing Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) star batter Virat Kohli go against Punjab Kings pacer Sandeep Sharma in IPL 2022 on Friday, 13 May.

Sandeep has an enviable record against the former Indian captain. He has got Kohli out seven times in 14 innings, with the batter averaging just 11.14 in the duel.

When informed about the record on ESPNcricinfo, Shastri said the Kings will use him with the new ball against Kohli, who'll open the innings. The former Team India head coach also warned the 33-year-old against Sandeep's in-swinger, saying:

"We'll have to see this because they'll certainly use him at the start. He swings the ball into the batter. His main weapon, the in-swinger, troubles many players a lot."

The battle will be more interesting as both players are out of form. While Sandeep has just two wickets in five games this season, Kohli has as many as three golden ducks in the last six innings.

Shastri also spoke about the Kings' bowling group, saying their lack of depth is the "main" reason why Punjab are struggling to reach the qualifiers this season. The coach-turned-commentator explained:

"The main reason Punjab haven't reached 14 points yet is that they are light on bowling. They don't have the required depth which means the pressure comes on the fourth and fifth bowler. A lot of times they have conceded 18-20 runs in one over which has turned games. They don't have much time and need to bring their A-game now."

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The Kings are placed eighth with just five wins from 11 matches and will need to win their remaining three games to get to 16 points. If they lose against the Royal Challengers, they are likely to fall to a point of no return.

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"If he's scoring runs then send him earlier" - Ravi Shastri

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When asked about the Kings' constant batting shuffles, which came under the scanner again when Liam Livingstone was sent at No. 6 and scored 22 off 14 against the Rajasthan Royals (RR), Shastri said they need to give their in-form players as many deliveries to face as possible.

Shastri said:

"The players in good form should go first in batting. I have always believed in utilizing the in-form player. Like... Livingstone, if he's scoring runs then send him earlier, let him play more balls. He'll score runs because he's an aggressive player, he won't mind whether he's batting in the fourth over or the eighth over. Once he gets going, he'll maintain that tempo so the sooner that happens, the better."

This strategy could mean that skipper Mayank Agarwal, who has demoted himself to No. 4, will have to drop even further if the openers provide a good start. This looks likely to open up more questions than answers for the franchise.