Former Team India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has kept former India skipper Virat Kohli in the third position on his list of top T20I batters for the year 2022 as well. However, Chopra also added that many would not have expected Kohli to be on the list earlier in the year, considering his poor form.
However, he praised Kohli for returning to form with a bang in the T20 cricket towards the end of the year. Chopra shared this while speaking in a YouTube video on his channel on Saturday, December 31. He said:
“Nobody would have imagined that Virat Kohli would find a place on this list. He struggled for form, and his performances were quite underwhelming in the IPL too. Everything was going wrong for him. However, he was able to turn things around. He was outstanding during the T20 World Cup. The pitch was quite challenging against Pakistan and England, but he still managed to score.”
“This year belongs to Suryakumar Yadav” – Aakash Chopra
However, Virat Kohli emerged as the top performer with the bat for the Indian team at the T20 World Cup in Australia. With his unbeaten 82-run knock against Pakistan, he helped his side register a four-wicket win in a last-ball thriller during the Super 12 round as well. He also scored 50 runs off 40 balls in the crucial semi-finals against England as well. But, his efforts went in vain as India eventually suffered a 10-wicket defeat in the knockout game as well.
However, Virat Kohli scored 296 runs in six games at the mega event which came at an average of 98.67, finishing as the highest run-getter of the tournament. And, Aakash Chopra further added that as per him, Suryakumar Yadav has been the top batter in T20Is in 2022 as well. Suryakumar Yadav has scored 1164 runs in 31 T20Is at a strike rate of 187.43 in 2022. He hit two centuries and nine fifties in 2022 also.
“This year belongs to Suryakumar Yadav. This year hasn’t been good for Team India, considering what happened at the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup. Suryakumar was still able to shine brightly. He has performed brilliantly, managing to claim the top spot in the ICC rankings for batters. For me, he has been the best T20I batter of the year. His record has been incredible. The manner in which he has batted is absolutely stellar,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
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