'Kohli has what Babar, Williamson…': Gambhir's U-turn on Virat's birthday

Virat Kohli has been having a whale of a time in Australia. He has already notched up three half-centuries in four matches for India in the group stage as he stands atop among the run-getters in the ongoing T20 World Cup. His most recent exploits came against Bangladesh when he stood tall amid challenging conditions to score an unbeaten 44-ball 64 in India's narrow five-run victory in Adelaide on Wednesday. And such was his knock that even former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir couldn't stop hailing birthday boy Kohli, whom he has often criticised in T20 cricket in recent times.

Batting first, in the must-win game against Bangladesh, India lost captain Rohit Sharma in the fourth over. Kohli then combined with KL Rahul to score a 67-run stand before the latter departed after notching up his maiden fifty in this T20 World Cup. Kohli then stitched a key 38-run stand alongside Suryakumar Yadav before the latter departed as well. The former India captain carried the momentum and he guided India to 184 for six.

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Hailing Kohli's act against Bangladesh, Gambhir, in conversation with Star Sports, explained how the 34-year-old built his innings.

“In this batting lineup, Kohli has the role of an aggressor in the final ten overs, alongside being an anchor in the starting. When you see Babar Azam, it is not necessary that you can call them (other players) an anchor. Virat Kohli is much more than just an anchor. When the conditions are tough in the first 10 overs of the match and India loses wickets like today, Kohli built a partnership by playing second fiddle to KL Rahul. When Rahul was dismissed, he partnered with Suryakumar Yadav and became the main hero after Suryakumar’s dismissal,” he said.

Gambhir further praised Kohli for his unique ability to switch gears during a knock, something which players like Kane Williamson, Steve Smith, and Babar Azam have failed to show.

“This is something you can only do when you have the ability. Very less players possess this ability to be both an anchor and an aggressor. Kane Williamson, Steve Smith, and Babar Azam don’t have this but Virat Kohli has,” Gambhir added.

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