Rohit Sharma wants Virat Kohli at any cost for T20 World Cup 2024: Reports
Virat Kohli didn't participate in the Test series against England due to personal reasons.
After another heartbreaking defeat in the 50-over World Cup 2023, India looks ahead to the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the USA to end their 11-year-old ICC trophy drought. However, to everyone’s surprise, Virat Kohli may not be part of India’s squad for the tournament in June.
According to reports, the BCCI feels that Kohli’s game may not suit the slow and low wickets of the Caribbean. It states that BCCI’s chief selector, Ajit Agarkar believes the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh, and Shivam Dube could offer more value in T20s than Kohli. Hence, he wants the veteran batter to make way in T20Is for the youngsters.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah confirmed Rohit Sharma as their captain for the T20 World Cup. But he didn’t make any comment on Kohli’s future. However, the Indian skipper has reportedly expressesed his wish to have Kohli, whose presence will give the team a different energy. “We need Virat Kohli at any cost,” he said.
Selecting the top 15 players for the competition won’t be easy. However, Kohli tried to adopt a new aggressive approach during India’s home T20I series against Afghanistan. He is so strong against pace but struggles against spin on a few occasions.
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IPL 2024 will be key for T20 World Cup selection
With India not playing any T20I series ahead of the T20 World Cup, the whole focus will be on the IPL 2024. If Virat Kohli performs excellently, then without a second thought, he will be in India’s World Cup squad.
The fans and pundits of the game have found themselves in disbelief at the news. Kohli has been such a crucial member of India in T20 World Cups. He is the highest run-scorer in the history of the competition with 1141 runs in 25 innings at an average of 81.5 and a strike rate of 131.3 with 14 fifties. He became the ‘Player of the Tournament’ in 2014 and 2016.
The 35-year-old also holds the record for most runs in an IPL season. Playing for the RCB, he notched up 973 runs in 16 innings during the 2016 season. His skills are unique. The deadline for the T20 World Cup squad selection is 1st May and changes can be made till May 25.
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