Gautam Gambhir opens up on Virat Kohli’s dismissal against Pakistan

Virat Kohli wasn’t in a great run of form coming into the Asia cup 2022 but the former captain showed glimpses of his touch in the first match of the tournament. Virat’s form was questioned by a wide number of spectators and some even wanted Deepak Hooda to replace the 33-year-old going forward. Things even escalated with Virat taking time off against Zimbabwe and West Indies in the summer.

What changed against Pakistan was Virat’s form. He did look shaky initially but with time, he managed to get into the groove. His short arm jab was appreciated not just by the fans but also by the pundits sitting in the commentary box. However, even after a good start, Kohli’s dismissal is painful for millions of his fans to watch.

Mohammad Nawaz dismissed Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in a similar fashion as both the senior players wanted to clear the ropes over the long-off but failed. Kohli’s shot lacked enough firepower as Iftikhar Ahmed picked an easy catch in the end. With that, Gautam Gambhir expressed his disappointment. He called it a ‘nothing shot’ and said that Kohli will be disappointed with that kind of a shot.

“It is T20 cricket, you think at times that you should back your instincts and you did that, but it is a frustrating shot because it was a nothing shot. If you were looking to hit a six and had gotten out, there is no problem with that, because you are trying to play a big shot. Here neither did you try to hit a six nor did you find a gap. Literally, it was a nothing shot, probably that is why he will be even more disappointed,” said the former opener.

If you had built your innings, things might have become easier: Gambhir on Kohli’s innings

Kohli scored 35 from 34 deliveries and played a crucial knock with KL Rahul dismissed in the first over and Rohit Sharma struggling in the middle. He provided the much needed stability in the powerplay which the middle-order batters later capitalised. However, a lot of fans believe that the ‘King’ of Indian cricket should have finished the match.

Gautam Gambhir also feels that the batter should have concentrated more on building his innings. More so, because the Indian captain Rohit Sharma just lost his wicket in Nawaz’s previous over.

“He (Kohli) will be extremely disappointed because Rohit Sharma’s wicket had just fallen and after that if you play a shot like that, it is good that a youngster did not play that shot. There would have been a lot of criticism if a youngster had played that kind of shot,” Gambhir said while speaking to Star Sports.

The two-time world champion added, “I am sure of the number of runs he has scored in international cricket. When he sees this shot he will tell himself that the shot was not required. You played 34 balls and scored 35 runs, your captain had just gotten out, if you had built your innings a little more, things might have become easier.”