“It happened throughout the series” – Saba Karim defends Virat Kohli’s failures against New Zealand

Former India selector Saba Karim has defended Virat Kohli’s failures in the recently concluded three-match ODI series against New Zealand.

The veteran said that the openers provided the right platform for middle-order batters to play with an attacking mindset. Karim pointed out that Kohli followed suit and batted aggressively but lost his wicket on all three occasions. He added that at times the fearless approach affects the original plan of a batter.

Speaking on India News, Saba Karim said:

“We have to check the team’s position at that point in time. Whenever the team gets a good start, you try to score at a brisk pace. It also affects your planning a bit, which happened throughout the series.”

Virat Kohli made 55 runs in the three-match series, including 36 off 27 balls in the third ODI. The 34-year-old, though, scored two centuries against Sri Lanka in the three-game ODI series earlier this month.

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“This is not the first time” – Saba Karim on Suryakumar Yadav’s flop show in ODIs

Saba Karim pointed out that Suryakumar Yadav once again failed to cement his place in the ODIs. He reckons that the T20I specialist will require more time to adjust to the 50-over format.

The cricketer-turned-commentator said:

“This is not the first time. Previously, when he got the opportunity to play in ODIs, he didn’t score as per expectations. I still think he is an invaluable player. Some players need some time to adjust. He should discuss this with Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid to gain more clarity.”

Yadav registered scores of 14, 31, and 4 in his last three ODI outings. So far in ODIs, he has scored 433 runs in 20 ODIs at an average of 28.87.

SKY, however, scored 112* in his last T20I outing against Sri Lanka. He will look to continue his red-hot form against New Zealand in the T20I series, which starts in Ranchi on Friday (January 27).

India’s T20I squad against New Zealand: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Suryakumar Yadav (vice-captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Prithvi Shaw, Mukesh Kumar.