NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli, the batting talisman for India, has been lauded as the "best batter of this generation" across all formats by former star all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who also explained what makes the 35-year-old special.
At the ICC Men's ODI Cricket World Cup 2023, Kohli topped the run charts and broke the record for most runs scored. With the T20 World Cup approaching, Kohli, who will be playing for the sixth time, has his sights set on the coveted trophy.
According to Yuvraj, no one is more deserving than the star batter to take home the T20 World Cup medal. Yuvraj, who was the Man of the Tournament in the 2011 World Cup, said that Kohli deserved to take home another World Cup trophy.
"He has definitely broken all the records in this era. The best batter of this generation, I feel, in all formats. And I think he is also someone who needs a World Cup Medal. He has one. I'm sure he is not satisfied with one. I think he surely deserves that medal as well," Yuvraj said in a chat with ICC.
Some of Kohli's most famous knocks have occurred during the T20 World Cup, most notably two years ago at the Melbourne Cricket Ground when he astonished over 90,000 spectators with an unmatched finish against arch-rivals Pakistan.
At one point, India was 31/4 and Virat played one of the most memorable innings in the history of the format, smashing 82* in just 53 balls with six fours and four sixes during a tight run chase of 160 runs.
Australia bore the brunt of Kohli's astounding genius during the 2016 tournament as he demonstrated his capacity to pursue targets relentlessly. India advanced to the semi-finals thanks to an amazing effort of 82 off 51 balls by Kohli, who had to chase 161 runs.
"I think he understands his game really well. He knows if he's there till the end, he is going to win the game for India and he has done that on some big occasions - against Australia in Mohali as well. Once he had the confidence to chase and knew the situation, he knew how to bat in these situations, knows which bowlers to attack, which bowlers to take singles off, when to attack again, handle the pressure and when to change his game," Yuvraj said.
Kohli's 2024 form is not all that unlike from his 2014 form. Prior to the T20 World Cup, the great hitter, who is the leading scorer in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, declared that he is available to play Twenty20 Internationals for India. As India attempts to win the crown, he will once again be the cornerstone of the batting lineup.
Kohli has not had any trouble keeping up with the rapid popularity of Twenty20, collecting 542 runs this IPL 2024 at an average of 67.75 and a strike rate of 148.08.
"Why I think he was so good was because every time in nets or a practice situation, he would not go and just slog balls. In the nets, he would always bat like he was batting in a match. He put that in repetition after repetition after repetition. I have not seen that in many players. I think that is the key to his success," Yuvraj describes.
The 15-player Indian squad for the forthcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup was revealed earlier this month by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The Men in Blue are grouped with co-hosts the United States of America, Ireland, Pakistan, and Canada in Group A of the ICC competition.
India's T20 World Cup campaign will kick off on June 5 against Ireland at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York. Then, on June 9, the team will play the marquee clash against Pakistan at the same stadium.
(With ANI inputs)
English (US) ·