Former Pakistan international fast bowler Mohammad Irfan thinks India cannot afford to drop star batter and ex-captain Virat Kohli from their 2024 T20 World Cup squad.
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The Telegraph recently reported that the BCCI could opt to leave out Kohli from their upcoming T20 World Cup squad in the US.
The report claimed that chief selector Ajit Agarkar had spoken to Kohli about adopting a more aggressive approach in T20s, which the batter attempted during the home series against Afghanistan.
The selection committee is also reportedly not fully convinced about the batter's suitability in the shortest format, especially with the wickets in the World Cup likely to be on the slower side. He is a supreme pace hitter, especially at the death but has struggled against spin at times.
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'You can’t have a team without Virat Kohli' - Mohammad Irfan
Mohammad Irfan, who represented the Pakistan national team in the past, has now claimed that there is no way India can drop a batter of Kohli's calibre while heading to a big ticket tournament.
Speaking to a local Pakistan news channel, Irfan said,
I have no doubts about it. You can’t have a team without Virat Kohli because he is a tremendous batsman.
We witnessed it in the ODI World Cup last year, where he won 3-4 matches almost single-handedly. Had Kohli not stepped up on those occasions, India would have lost group-stage encounters against Australia and New Zealand.
Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli took a long hiatus from T20I cricket after India's exit from the 2022 T20 World Cup. The experienced duo returned to action in the shortest format in January when they made themselves available for the home T20I series against Afghanistan.
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What next for Virat Kohli?
Kohli will be next seen in action for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2024 Indian Premier League. RCB will begin their campaign on the opening, March 22 against reigning champions and MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings.
The IPL 2024 will be a good platform for the 35-year-old to prove his critics wrong and cement his place in the Indian team which will travel to the US in June.
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