Lanky Pakistan pacer Mohammad Irfan has blasted the BCCI and the selectors after a report emerged that Virat Kohli is likely to be excluded from the T20 World Cup 2024 squad.
Earlier this week, The Telegraph India reported that Virat Kohli is not a certainty in India’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2024 in June in the West Indies and the USA.
The report said the key reason for this: “It is also believed that the slow wickets in the West Indies wouldn’t suit him.” It added, “Agarkar (the chief selector) will again have to take up the cudgels and convince Kohli that he has to make way for the younger generation.”
Mohammad Irfan, who bowled to Virat Kohli during his peak in 2012-15, pointed out at the Indian star’s blockbuster World Cup 2023 tournament, where he became the first-ever batsman to rack up over 700 runs in an ICC World Cup.
During an interview on News24, Mohammad Irfan said, “I don’t have any second thoughts about it, you can’t make your team without Virat Kohli because he is a very big batsman. We all saw what he did in the ODI World Cup last year, Virat Kohli won 3-4 matches in the World Cup for India on his own. If Kohli didn’t step up on that occasion, India would have lost 3-4 matches including group-stage matches against Australia and New Zealand where India lost early wickets. He finished the match on his own.”
Since the semi-final exit in the T20 World Cup 2022 in Adelaide, Kohli has played only two T20Is, against Afghanistan in January, scoring 29 and 0, but he showed a renewed intent in those games with his attacking shots.
Mohammad Irfan spoke about how Kohli’s strike rate keeps improving the longer he bats, and it more often helps his team.
“He won the matches in recent times, it’s not fair to raise questions on his place. Those questioning Virat Kohli’s place in the T20 World Cup belong in gully cricket,” Irfan asserted.
“Strike rate is crucial in T20 format, if you play more balls then the pressure starts mounting on your team. If you score 30 off 10 balls then the next batsman will feel less pressure but if you score run-a-ball then things will be difficult for other batters.”
Having missed the England Test for personal reasons, Virat Kohli will return in the IPL 2024 later this month.
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