Aaron Finch believes Rohit Sharma played aggressively in the powerplay because he knew Virat Kohli was there to stabilize the innings if needed.
Rohit Sharma’s batting approach in the powerplay changed significantly after India’s 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final exit. Determined to make the top order more aggressive, he prioritized scoring rate over wicket preservation.
Former Australia captain Aaron Finch credited Virat Kohli for allowing Rohit Sharma to take more risks in the powerplay. He explained that Rohit’s aggressive approach was possible because he had the assurance of Kohli stabilizing the innings at No.3. Finch then noted that while attacking from the start is crucial, a team cannot have all batters swinging for boundaries.
“When you look, when Rohit’s made that conscious decision, he’s had Virat coming in behind him at number three. So there’s an ability for him to say, you know what, I’ve got the guy behind that will fix any mistakes that I make. But you can’t have everybody in the team just looking to swing for the fences from ball one. So that’s a really, that’s a good question. And I understand that Rohit’s done that, and he’s been very successful in doing it,” Finch told PTI.
Finch Backs Virat Kohli’s Approach, Dismisses Need for Change
Kohli’s strike rate improved significantly in 2023, reaching nearly 140, and peaked in IPL 2024 when he scored 741 runs at 154.70. Finch pointed out that Kohli often stabilizes Royal Challengers Bangalore’s innings when early wickets fall. He also believes Virat Kohli does not need to change his approach, as his ability to score consistently benefits the team.
“Maybe if his strike rate goes from 140 to 150, he can absolutely do that. No issues whatsoever. But how many times has he been in a situation where he’s had to almost dig RCB out of the hole because everybody else has fallen around him? So, like I said before, I would bank the runs every day of the week from a top-three player. Because that gives the rest of the order so much freedom. That gives you the option to be more aggressive than the other batters,” he explained.
“So I don’t think that there’s a huge need to change. Maybe it’s changing the tempo up slightly. But overall, I would bank on his runs every single day of the week. And then you start to build your team around somebody like that,” Finch added.
Meanwhile, the highly anticipated IPL 2025 season kicks off tomorrow, March 22, with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) facing Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens.
