"Kohli will play well, can't keep a player like him out": Suryakumar's childhood coach on Virat's form

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 29 (ANI): Ashok Aswalkar, the childhood coach of India's explosive batter Suryakumar Yadav, adviced Men in Blue to play normal cricket when they take South Africa for the coveted T20 World Cup trophy and thrown his weight behind the struggling Virat Kohli to produce significant knock in the championship match.
India will face South Africa on Saturday at the Kensington Oval in Barbados for the coveted T20 World Cup trophy. After the World Test Championship 2023 and World Cup 2023, India have ensured a third successive final appearance in the ICC events after maintaining an unbeaten run in the 2024 campaign.
"We just need to play normal cricket that we have been playing. We just have to play simple cricket and not take the pressure. All the players know how they have to play, they are playing very easily and we can see the result of it in front of us," Aswalkar told ANI.
India captain and opener Rohit Sharma has been terrific in this tournament. In the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, Rohit is currently the third-highest run-getter in the tournament. He scored 248 runs at a strike rate of 155.97 after appearing in seven matches. The Rohit-led side has dominated each side that they have faced in the tournament, including heavyweights like Australia, Pakistan, and England.
On the contrary, the star batter Virat Kohli's form has dipped in the marquee event despite slamming a brilliant 741 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Kohli only managed to score 75 runs in seven innings and has not yet contributed significantly to the competition.
Aswalkar said that the stylish batter has shown intent and hoped that the star player will perform well against Proteas in the championship match.
"The combination will remain the same. Kohli will play well even after performance is poor in one or two matches. We cannot keep a player like Kohli out of the WC final match. Rohit has broken his shell to play this brilliant kind of cricket. I have told Suryakumar Yadav to play his game and don't change anything," he added.
India seek to reclaim the trophy they last won in the inaugural 2007 edition, while South Africa are into the final for the first time - after seven previous World Cup semi-final defeats in all formats.
Aswalkar said that South Africa will be out to win the trophy at any cost as this is their first semi-final while it will be a plus point for the Men in Blue as they just have to play the cricket like they have been in this tournament. The Men in Blue will have an upper hand in the match as they have clinched 14 wins in their previous 26 matches, while South Africa only have 11 victories.
While hopeful that a perfect game will come against South Africa, Aswalkar is a realist and said players need to stay relaxed and produce close to their best in the clash.
"South Africa will try to win at any cost because it has reached the final for the first time. And this will be a plus point for us because he has to win and we just have to play cricket like we have been playing," Aswalkar said.
"I feel that since cricket has been going on in West Indies for so many years the pitches there have become a bit slow. I think that just because of the gap of one day, the preparation that should be done is not happening. We are playing a good brand of cricket and we have to continue doing it," he added.
Under the captaincy of their superstar skipper Rohit, India's entire squad have clicked flawlessly and fired on all cylinders to soar to an undefeated record thus far in the T20 World Cup while aiming to claim their second T20 World Cup title. (ANI)