The Indian cricket team displayed a great attacking approach in the first T20I against England, putting a total of 198 runs on the board. Be it the skipper Rohit Sharma, Deepak Hooda, Suryakumar Yadav or Hardik Pandya, the batters refused to buy time in the middle and went after English bowlers from the word go.
While a number of players performed well, it was Hooda who drew the attention of many for his consistency. After a century in the Ireland series, Hooda once again looked on song as he scored a quick-fire 33 off 17 in Southampton. With Virat Kohli set to return from the second T20I onwards, Wasim Jaffer feels Hooda’s performance will put immense pressure on the former India skipper to deliver.
“Hooda’s performance will put pressure on Virat Kohli when he comes back. You’ve got a guy who has done so well, performed consistently in the IPL and the T20Is as well. The pressure might bring out the best of Virat Kohli,” said Jaffer on ESPNCricinfo.
After India ended up winning the match by 198 runs, Jaffer hailed the manner in which the tourists implemented their attacking approach. Jaffer even suggested that this is the approach the team lacked in the T20 World Cup 2021.
“You’ve got to like the way they accelerated and the momentum they batted with. This was missing in the last T20 World Cup all the time. They are going with that aggressive approach, which is very refreshing to see,” he further said.
Even when the likes of Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and others return to the playing XI, Jaffer feels the approach of the team should remain just like it was in the first T20I against England.
“The big guys who are missing, KL Rahul (after recovering from injury) and Virat, are going to come back. But India will be happy that they have got the guys to back them up. However, the approach needs to be similar.”
“This is the brand of cricket they need to play if they want to dominate this format. This is something we would like to see from the main guys as well,” he asserted.
The likes of Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant will be eligible for selection from the second T20I onwards. It remains to be seen if the team management decides to change the winning combination and give all or some of these players a go.
