Former Indian opener and chief selector Kris Srikkanth has slammed rumour-mongers who have claimed that Virat Kohli might not feature in India’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad.
In recent times, it has been widely reported that the BCCI selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, isn’t keen on including Kohli in India’s T20 WC squad as his game won’t suit the wickets in West Indies, co-hosts along with USA for the upcoming mega event. Moreover, the selectors are believed to be more keen in including more power-hitters at the expense of Kohli.
However, Srikkanth — member of Kapil Dev-led India’s 1983 World Cup-winning team — slammed all such rumours and stated that Kohli ‘is a must’ in India’s squad for the forthcoming ICC tournament.
On his YouTube channel, Kohli said, “No chance. It’s not possible to be without Virat Kohli at the T20 World Cup. He is the one who took us to the semi-finals in T20 World Cup 2022. He was the Man of the Tournament. Who is saying all this? These rumour-mongers, don’t they have any other job? What is the basis for all this chatter? If India have to win the T20 World Cup, Virat Kohli is a must in the squad.”
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‘The Indian team should win the World Cup for Virat’
Srikkanth further opined, “You need a guy who can just stay there. India need that sheet anchor, be it T20 World Cup or ODI World Cup. Without Virat Kohli, the Indian team cannot go. We need Virat Kohli, 100 percent. I still believe Virat Kohli should be honoured like how Sachin Tendulkar was in 2011. ” He added, “The Indian team should win the World Cup for Virat. It will be a great thing for Virat Kohli.”
At present, Kohli is gearing up for IPL 2024 where he will represent the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Talking about his future in the shortest format, he came back into the T20I setup early this year (after 14 months), during the Afghanistan series. Given his impressive record in T20 WC, being the leading run-getter with 1,141 runs at 131.3, it is unlikely that he won’t feature in India’s squad.
Notably, all the participating teams have to announce their provisional squad by early May.