After a stellar IPL season, India opener Virat Kohli has struggled for runs in the ongoing T20 World Cup. While the Indian team managed to hand England an easy defeat in their semi-final clash on Thursday, Virat Kohli (7) once again failed to make an impact.
In the 7 matches played in this World Cup, Kohli has scored 75 runs at an average of 10.71 and a strike rate of 100. This is in stark contrast to the veteran batsman's IPL 2024 season, where he scored 741 runs in 15 matches at a strike rate of around 155.
Despite the lack of runs during the World Cup, skipper Rohit Sharma backed his star batsman after Thursday's win over England. Speaking to reporters after the match, Rohit confirmed Virat's place for the T20 World Cup final against South Africa on Saturday.
Talking about his opening partner's form, Rohit said, “Look he is a quality player, any player can go through that (lack of form). But again, we understand we do understand his class and we do understand his importance in all these big games. When you have played cricket for 15 years, form is never a problem. He is looking good, the intent is there and (he is) probably saving for the finals.”
On being asked if he would back Virat Kohli to play in the T20 WC final on Thursday, Rohit replied ‘absolutely’.
The Indian captain also shed light on what his team needs to do in order to win the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 trophy. He said, "We have been very calm as a team. We understand the occasion (final). Staying composed helps you make good decisions. That'll help us making the game through. You got to play good cricket. That's what we want to do in the final. We'll try our best, that's all I can say. The team is in good shape, they are playing well. All I can hope is to put up another good show come the finals,"
The Men in Blue posted 171/7 in their quota of 20 overs on Thursday, thanks to some scintillating knocks from skipper Rohit and middle-order batsman Suryakumar Yadav. An all-round bowling performance led by Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav helped India win the match by 68 runs.
