Virat Kohli has been a reckoning force in Indian cricket, no matter which format he plays. His presence instils the zeal of winning into his teammates while the fans see him as the ultimate match-winner. But since the team is heading towards a transition, the management has been sidelining the former captain so as to try the budding players, especially in the T20Is. It has been more than 9 months since he played a T20I game for India. He last appeared in the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final against England in which India were beaten by 10 wickets.
Kohli’s absence in the shortest format has left the fans thinking about whether the star batter will play in the 2024 T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in the West Indies and the USA. Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar has given a straightforward answer to this question, saying there is no reason for not picking up Kohli in the final 15.
Speaking on YouTube Channel ‘Cricket Basu’, Bangar recalled Kohli’s heroics in last year’s edition in Australia where he produced the best under crunch situation. India’s clash against Pakistan was the biggest example of a classic Kohli knock that snatched away the win from the jaws of the arch-rivals.
“Hundred per cent he should be there in the T20 team. What he did in the previous T20 World Cup and in those close matches, I don’t see the reason why he can’t be seen playing T20 cricket and next year’s T20 World Cup,” Bangar said.
“You know that in big situations where emotions run high, one small mistake could cost you dear. You need big players who have gone through those situations. At that point, it doesn’t really matter what your strike-rate is, or what you have done in the IPL, in big games you require big match players. He (Kohli) showed such spirit in the India-Pakistan game,” he added.
The former India all-rounder also made it clear that batting at the highest level isn’t about scoring fours and sixes only. It is also about scoring ones and twos which gives Kohli an edge over generations of cricketers.
“Everyone has a style of scoring and it doesn’t mean that only big hitters can win a game. If that would have been the case, the West Indies team would have won all the T20 World Cups. Virat Kohli is such a batsman who can score a hundred without hitting a six. And he has done that. Against Gujarat Titans, he didn’t score a single six and yet scored a century. All his shots were grounded and that speaks volumes about Virat Kohli,” he explained.
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