Former Pakistan wicket-keeper batsman Rashid Latif during his recent appearance on YouTube channel Cricket Baaz, has claimed that the Men in Blue would have been much more sorted entering into CWC 2023 had the BCCI allowed former skipper Virat Kohli as leader of the pack.
He has also opined that despite the latest edition of the marquee event being held in India, asian teams like Pakistan, Bangladesh, or the hosts themselves, are not at any added advantage as they lack the aggressive and innovative strokeplay required during the middle overs- something ENG, AUS and NZ are better at.
Had Virat Kohli been the captain, India would be 100 percent ready: Rashid Latif
Latif has criticized the constant chopping and changing in India’s batting line-up, highlighting it as one of the reasons that has contributed to Rohit Sharma and co. not being clear favorites at their home.
The former Pakistan cricketer believes that had Kohli been the Men in Blue’s leader all along, the team would be 100 percent ready for the tournament.
“The Indian team management (Dravid and Rohit) has experimented with several players. If i talk about their batting, the middle and lower order, say from No. 4 to 7, they just have not allowed any new player to settle down with frequent changes. If they had allowed Virat Kohli to continue as captain (in ODIs), India would be 100 percent ready for the Cricket World Cup by this time,” Rashid Latif has said.
Notably, Kohli was controversially removed from ODI captaincy on December 9, 2021 after he had relinquished the T20I duties due to workout management.
Rohit Sharma, who had replaced King Kohli at the helm, was expected to bring a positive change into the national side. However, he has lacked conviction in his tenure thus far, and has not been able to provide ample backing to batters.
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The likes of Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan have not been given a fair run in ODIs, and though Suryakumar has managed to play 26 matches, he has averaged an underwhelming 24 thus far, scoring 50 or more on just two occasions.