NEW DELHI: Former Indian all-rounder
Irfan Pathan
made a passionate defence of
Virat Kohli
's inclusion in the
T20 World Cup squad
.
"First of all, it is a very disappointing question. This question that is being raised is very disappointing. How can the question be raised whether or not Virat Kohli will get a place in the World Cup?," Pathan said on Star Sports while replying to fans’ queries about the possibility of Kohli missing the ICC event in the Americas.
Pathan dismissed concerns about Kohli's form, stating, "I am not talking about the strike rate of IPL, we are talking about the Indian selection here.
His average in international cricket is around 50, and the strike rate is 137 in T20 cricket. Now get these two together, where are you guys reaching, near 190. Now when the number reaches over 180, it means that it is of high quality."
T20 World Cup Schedule
Highlighting Kohli's match-winning capabilities, Pathan recalled, "You can also see how he won the matches, in the last World Cup which happened just now in 2022. He won the match single-handedly. He scored 82 runs, the Indian team was not winning. India won riding on Virat Kohli's heroics."
Addressing concerns about pitch conditions in the West Indies and the USA, Pathan emphasized the importance of experience, stating, "Now at such a time when there will be World Cup in West Indies and America. At the time of Super 8s in the West Indies, then many times pitches become slow there, if something like this happens then you will need the experience. In my mind, such a question will never come that
Rohit Sharma
and Virat Kohli should not be part of the World Cup team. This question does not come to my mind."
On Sunday in the IPl 2024, Gujarat Titans' Sai Sudharsan and Shahrukh Khan starred with the bat, setting a formidable target of 201 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Despite this, Virat Kohli and
Will Jacks
led RCB to a comprehensive nine-wicket victory.
However, despite the win, RCB remains at the bottom of the IPL 2024 standings with six points, while Gujarat Titans hold the seventh place with eight points after winning four of 10 matches.
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