India's batting coach Vikram Rathour.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Barbados: Vikram Rathour was being atypically jocular, but in a sentence meant to disarm he let in on how he feels about Virat Kohli’s current form.
Kohli has scored all of 29 runs in four games at the top of the order. India’s extensive batting repertoire has helped them mollify this predicament for now with the likes of Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya to a degree fetching them batting points, but Kohli's form remains a concern. Even for Rathour by the sound of it.
“I am not happy,” he said when asked if India winning despite Kohl’s lack of runs is a good sign for the team. “I wish he would go in and score more runs, but the good thing is that a lot of these batters have not had a chance to get time at the crease in India so they now get to play and show what they’re made of. That, to me, is a good sign.”
Asked if they will try and push Kohli down to No.3, a ploy of old, Rathour revealed that the team was not thinking along those lines, but also said in passing that change would depend on the opposition or the conditions on offer.
While Rathour’s take goes against what Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said recently, it sounds more flexible and that’s what they should be as tougher challenges come their way.
“We’ve always had this kind of depth and that flexibility as a team,” he said. “These conditions suit us because we get to use our spinners, that’s been a strength of ours. But, see, when you have someone like Axar (Patel) coming in at No.9, you know you’re in a good space. So much batting allowance.”
When asked about the conditions at the Sir Vivian Richards stadium in North Sound, Antigua, Rathour reverted to being funny, but this time, there was no veiled sentiment. “I think we’ve already played on the worst conditions that was possible in New York so anything after that is good only,” he said.