All eyes will be on how ace batter, Virat Kohli, fares in India's Champions Trophy 2025 clash against Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, February 23. Kohli has been quite underwhelming with the bat in the 50-over format of late. Moreover, he has found it particularly hard to tackle leg-spinners - getting dismissed to Adil Rashid (twice) and Rishad Hossain in his previous three ODI appearances.
Former cricketer-turned-commentator, Sanjay Manjrekar, was of the opinion that Kohli would be better off trusting his abilities and going with the flow rather than trying to go overboard with extended net sessions against spinners while practicing.
"When you (Kohli) are slightly out of form and runs, you think of practicing too much and thinking too much. Sometimes, (you) just overdo it. Just keep hitting the balls in the nets. It's more of mind thing (and) not (just) about (the) batting technique. He is going through a difficult time, and has (had) some technical issues. In the last match (against Bangladesh), he lacked confidence but he is trying his best. He just needs to settle his mind a little bit without trying too hard, and go out there with a relaxed mind," shared Manjrekar in an interaction with The Times of India.
It's a sorry situation for Pant: Manjrekar
The erstwhile top-order batter felt KL Rahul would be the first-choice wicketkeeper-batter for India in ODIs, and would be preferred ahead of Rishabh Pant.
"India were pretty good (against Bangladesh), most boxes got ticked. I don't see drastic changes if the pitch is doesn't demand. Kuldeep (Yadav) needs a little more game time. (KL) Rahul got some runs, so I don't think any new wicketkeeper-batter is going to replace him. Till Rahul is contributing, Pant will stay out but Pant is rare talent for India. It's a sorry situation for him," he added.
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Pant did not feature in India's training session on the eve of the game due to being down with viral fever. Indian vice-captain, Shubman Gill, confirmed the development in a pre-match press conference. The southpaw last represented the nation in the ODI format during the away series against Sri Lanka in August 2024.
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