Srinagar: Terming it good for Team India, Stand-in skipper KL Rahul said that Virat Kohli making runs is crucial for team success.
Virat Kohli on Thursday, scored his much awaited 71st hundrend as India beat Afghanistan in Asia Cup dead rubber.
For the match Virat Kohli was promoted up the order and opened the innings for India with Rahul, who made 62 in 41 balls.
The change worked well in India’s favour as Kohli ended the wait of 1021 days by scoring his 71st international ton – joint second-most across formats – with Australia great Ricky Ponting.
When asked about whether Kohli should open the innings for India in T20Is in the post-match press conference, Rahul jokingly asked, “Toh kya mai khud beth jaun? (So should I sit out?)”
“Obviously, Virat scoring runs is a huge bonus for the team, and the way he played today against Afghanistan, I know he is very very pleased with how he batted today,” Rahul said. “He has been working on his game and that worked beautifully today. As a team, it is important for every player to get time out in the middle.
“You get confidence if you play 2-3 innings, really happy that he could play that way. You all know Virat Kohli, you have been watching him for so many years, it is not like he will only score centuries if he opens the batting, if he bats at No.3, he can then also score centuries. It is all about roles and what role a certain player has,” he added. “The role Virat had today, he played it beautifully. In the next series we play, his role would be different.”
“Obviously, the celebration by Virat was more of relief. There has been no change in his mindset, attitude, and work ethic in the last 2-3 years. There has been no difference in the way he prepares for the game. He has always had that desire, I think we are also very obsessed with numbers, obsessed with those three digits and we think, if someone is scoring hundreds, then only he is in form. His contributions have been phenomenal in the last 2-3 years,” said Rahul.
Courtesy:ICC