With the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selectors busy finalising the 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, former India captain Virat Kohli and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant are ‘certainties’ in the side. These speculations come after there were rumour of the Indian selectors dropping Kohli.
According to a report by Cricbuzz, Kohli is expected to retain his place in the Indian T20 squad for the ICC event. Even though Kohli’s strike rate was questioned by a lot of pundits in the IPL 2024, the report suggests that there is no way Kohli would be left out of the World Cup squad.
Who is saying this?: Kris Srikkanth blasts at rumour-mongers
Amid a lot of talk going around Virat Kohli’s inclusion in the T20 World Cup squad, former India batter Krishnamachari Srikkanth has given a massive verdict. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth blasted over the rumour mongers, adding that Kohli is a must in the squad.
“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 semifinals in the 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 has to win the T20 World Cup, Virat Kohli is a must in the squad,” he said as quoted by News18.
It is to be noted that Kohli has been out of action since the conclusion of the Afghanistan T20I series. However, the 35-year-old returned to feature in the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and I currently leading the charts of the highest run-getter. Kohli is the Orange Cap holder with 316 runs from five innings, with his highest being 113*, which came against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur.