Tag: Virat Kohli

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has backed star batter Virat Kohli as an opener despite his poor form during the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 ahead of the final against South Africa.

Kohli has been far from his best in the ongoing tournament and managed to make it into the double digits only once in seven innings.

The right-handed batter has scored just 75 runs in seven innings at a dismal average of 10.7 while playing as an opener.

Many cricket experts suggested that Virat Kohli should play at his regular number three position, where he has excelled throughout his career and boasts a great record.

However, Ganguly firmly backed the star batter, insisting that he must continue to open in T20Is. He emphasized that nobody should count Kohli out for the crucial final.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“Virat should open. He just had a World Cup of 700 runs seven months ago. He is human. Sometimes he will also fail, and you have to accept it. People like Kohli, Tendulkar, Dravid, they are institutions for Indian cricket. Three to four matches don’t make them weaker players. Don’t rule him out in the final tomorrow,” Ganguly said on Friday.

The former captain further praised Kohli for being a generational talent, meanwhile, he also expressed satisfaction with Shivam Dube’s performance.

“Virat is a once-in-a-generation batsman. Dube is in the team because he hits big sixes to spin. He has a role to hit spinners, and he has done very well,” Ganguly added.

India and South Africa will lock horns in the high-voltage T20 World Cup 2024 final at Kensington Oval, Barbados on June 29.

Both teams are unbeaten in the ongoing mega event as South Africa won all their eight matches while India won seven as one of their group-stage fixtures against Canada was abandoned without a ball bowled.

READ: T20 World Cup 2024: India’s Dravid hoping for third time lucky

India captain Rohit Sharma commented on the ongoing rough patch of star batter Virat Kohli ahead of their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 final against South Africa, scheduled to take place at Kensington Oval, Barbados on June 29.

Kohli has been far from his best in the ongoing tournament and managed to make it into the double digits only once in seven innings.

The right-handed batter, who opened the innings in T20Is only once before the commencement of the T20 World Cup 2024, scored just 75 runs in seven innings at a dismal average of 10.7.

Virat Kohli’s scores in T20 World Cup 2024

1 (5) vs Ireland – 5th June, 2024
4 (3) vs Pakistan – 9th June, 2024
0 (1) vs USA – 12th June, 2024
24 (24) vs Afghanistan – 20th June, 2024
37 (28) vs Bangladesh – 22th June, 2024
0 (5) vs Australia – 24th June, 2024
9 (9) vs England – 27th June, 2024

However, India captain Rohit Sharma is unfazed by Virat Kohli’s poor form and shared his optimism that the latter is saving his best for the T20 World Cup 2024 final against South Africa.

“He’s a quality player. Any player can go through that. We do understand his class and his importance in all these big games. Form is never a problem because when you’ve played cricket for 15 years, it isn’t a problem,” Rohit said following India’s semi-final win over England.

“He is looking good, the intent is there. He’s probably saving for the finals,” he added.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

India and South Africa will lock horns in the high-voltage T20 World Cup 2024 final at Kensington Oval, Barbados on June 29.

Both teams are unbeaten in the ongoing mega event as South Africa won all their eight matches while India won seven as one of their group-stage fixtures against Canada was abandoned without a ball bowled.

READ: AB de Villiers predicts T20 World Cup 2024 winner

Star India batter Virat Kohli’s poor form continued as he was dismissed for a duck during their Super 8 fixture against Australia in the T20 World Cup 2024 on Monday.

After being put to bat first, Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma opened the inning for India, however, their partnership was a very short one as the right-handed batter was dismissed in the second over of the inning.

Virat Kohli attempted a pull shot on the fourth delivery of Jos Hazlewood’s second over, but mistimed the shot. Tim David took a brilliant catch running backwards and ended the batter’s stay at the crease with a five-ball duck.

Earlier, he failed to open his account against the United States of America (USA) when he fell to Saurabh Netravalkar during their group stage game.

With this duck, Kohli has now been dismissed twice in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 without disturbing the scorecard.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

He is the second Indian player to have been dismissed on a duck twice in a World Cup edition.

The first Indian player was former pacer Ashish Nehra who scored two ducks in the 2010 T20 World Cup.

Kohli has had a forgettable tournament as he has scored just 66 runs in six innings with an average of just 11.

While Virat Kohli was quick to return to the pavilion during their game against Australia, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma launched a counterattack and hit Australia’s bowlers all around the park.

He smashed 92 runs off 41 balls with the help of eight sixes and seven fours as India registered a massive total of 205/5 against Australia.

READ: Shubman Gill to lead young India squad on Zimbabwe tour

Former New Zealand cricketer and renowned commentator Simon Doull opened up on the backlash he received over criticising Indian cricket star Virat Kohli.

Kohli’s strike rate has been widely discussed in recent years with several suggesting that the right-handed batter’s scoring rate is not at par with modern cricket.

While the batter improved his strike rate in the recently concluded IPL 2024, ending the season with a strike rate of 154.70, he was still criticised for failing to maintain a high strike rate throughout the inning.

Virat Kohli had also revealed in recent interviews that he made an effort to keep his strike rate up in the IPL 2024.

Simon Doull is among those criticising Kohli for a slow strike rate, however, he reversed his opinion in the latter part of the season after Kohli improved his strike rate.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Doull has now revealed the ugly side of criticising a player such as Kohli and the issues he had faced due to his criticism of the Indian batter.

The former New Zealand cricketer said that he had said that Kohli worried about getting out which resulted in a slower strike rate.

According to Doull, it was a rare bad thing he said about the former RCB captain.

“He is too good to worry about getting out and that was always my point. I have said a thousand great things about Virat Kohli but I say one thing negative or construed to be negative, and I get death threats. That’s the shame of it,” he said.

Doull recalled having several conversations with Kohli whenever they got a chance to meet.

“There has never been an issue and I would never have a reason to have personal problems. When I look at the game and the way it has moved, particularly with the impact sub, a strike rate of 130-135 didn’t cut it any more,” he said.

READ: Sri Lanka thump Ireland in T20 World Cup 2024 warm-up

New Zealand’s legendary batter Ross Taylor spoke highly of India’s batting star Virat Kohli, stating “he is up there” with football greats Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Ronaldo and Messi are regarded as two of the best football players in the world, courtesy of their unparalleled success on the field amid their ongoing decorated careers. Whereas, Kohli has been reaching new heights as a batter since making his debut for India in 2008.

In addition to their on-field achievements, Ronaldo and Messi have been sweeping the social media landscape.

The Portugal international is the most followed individual on Instagram with 630 million followers, followed by the Argentine superstar, who has 503 million followers.

Virat Kohli has a whopping 269 million followers on Instagram, the 13th highest in the world by an individual.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Meanwhile, former New Zealand batter Ross Taylor asserted that Kohli is parallel to Ronaldo and Messi in terms of social media influence.

“Players are putting outposts endorsing products and things like that. Who would have thought of that in 2008? Someone like Kohli, who is a superstar in the world of cricket, but is also a global superstar in the world of sports,” stated Taylor.

“In terms of Instagram and social media, he’s up there with Ronaldo and Messi,” he added.

It is worth mentioning here that Virat Kohli has thus far represented India in 522 international matches across formats and scored 26,773 runs with the help of 80 centuries and 139 fifties.

He was also a part of the Indian teams that won the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2011 and ICC Champions Trophy 2013.

READ: Pakistan thwart Australia in Volleyball series opener

Pakistan’s white-ball captain Babar Azam is close to breaking a significant T20I record, currently held by Indian star batter Virat Kohli, during the upcoming series against England.

Kohli is the highest run-scorer in T20I history with 4037 runs in 109 innings, however, Azam needs only 83 runs to claim the record.

The Pakistan captain is currently in third position among the highest run-scorers in T20I cricket with 3955 runs, behind Kohli and Indian captain Rohit Sharma (3974).

The four-match T20I series against England will provide Azam with an ideal opportunity to break the record and become the first Pakistani batter to score 4000 T20I runs.

The star batter, who is also the most successful captain in T20I history with 46 victories, also holds the record for scoring the most runs as captain in T20I cricket.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

He has scored 2452 runs as captain and with 48 runs in the upcoming series, he will become the first to score 2500 runs as captain.

Babar Azam-led Pakistan will commence the four-match T20I series against England on May 22 at Headingley, Leeds. The series will conclude on May 30 at The Oval, London.

After the conclusion of the England series, the Pakistan team will depart for the United States of America (USA) to participate in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

The 2009 champions will start their campaign against co-host USA on June 4 before taking on arch-rivals India on June 9.

READ: Gary Kirsten joins Pakistan team in Leeds ahead of first England T20I

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi on Saturday unequivocally praised Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli for his expressed willingness to visit Pakistan.

Afridi, at a tape-ball event in Karachi, confidently remarked that he was not surprised by Kohli’s gesture.

“I expected such a statement from Virat. I welcome Virat, whether he comes to the PSL or with the Indian team,” Afridi said.

For the unversed, Virat Kohli revealed his desire to visit Pakistan during a video call with Pakistani mountaineer Shehroze Kashif in 2022.

“Give my regards to your family and all your friends. Hopefully, we will visit Pakistan soon; everyone’s started visiting now,” Kohli said while talking to Kashif.

Meanwhile, Shahid Afridi also expressed support for young opening batter Saim Ayub and expressed confidence in his talent.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“Saim has a lot of talent. I hope he performs well. Pakistan need a batter who can play well in the first six overs,” Afridi said.

Ayub is currently in England with the Pakistan squad, where they are scheduled to play a four-match T20I series against the host nation, starting on May 22.

The national men’s cricket team reached here on Wednesday, following their 2-1 series victory over Ireland in the three-match series.

After the conclusion of the England series, the Pakistan team will depart for the United States of America (USA) to participate in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

The 2009 champions will start their campaign against co-host USA on June 4 before taking on arch-rivals India on June 9.

Pakistan squad

Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Khan.

READ: Bayer Leverkusen become first team to complete Bundesliga season unbeaten

Right-handed batter Virat Kohli played down the hype of the highly-anticipated ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 clash between arch-rivals Pakistan and India.

Two of the most fierce competitors in the game of cricket — Pakistan and India — will lock horns at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on June 9.

The anticipation and excitement of cricket fans around the globe have soared to the top but Virat Kohli asserted that the frenzy is way more than what happens on the field.

“The frenzy around and outside the game is way more than what happens on the field. An instinctive person always remains in the present. So, forget June 9, I can just do what I have to do now after one hour,” stated Kohli.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Virat Kohli then went on to express his hunger to excel in the tournament while also claiming that India will do well in the T20 World Cup 2024.

“I can say I’m as hungry as ever. Once there is no hunger, you won’t see my in any tournament. If I don’t have that mindset, I can’t play. There is an energy in such tournaments and once there’s a good atmosphere within the team, it’s a beautiful journey. We had one in the last World Cup. We really enjoyed the World Cup. I’m sure we’ll have a really good tournament this time as well,” Kohli said.

Kohli boasts a dominant record against arch-rivals Pakistan in T20Is, the highlight of which was his unbeaten 82-run knock in the blockbuster ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 bout at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

He is currently enjoying a purple patch with the bat, currently leading the run charts in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).

Inaugural champions India will start their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign against Ireland on June 5 before taking on Pakistan in the blockbuster clash on June 9.

READ: Nida Dar becomes leading wicket-taker in Women’s T20Is

Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli has opened up about his retirement plans ahead of the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled in the United States of America (USA) and the West Indies.

Kohli shed light on his post-retirement plans during a recent statement at RCB’s Royal Gala Dinner recently.

“I think as a sportsman, we do have an end-date to our careers. So I am just working backwards. I don’t want to finish my career thinking ‘Oh, what if I have done this on that particular day’ because I can’t keep going on and on forever,” the former captain said.

“So, it’s just about not leaving any undone business behind and not having any regrets later, which I am sure I won’t.”

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

The star batter also hinted at taking a break before embarking on a new chapter of his life.

“Once I am done, I will be gone, you won’t see me for a while. So, I want to give it everything I have till the time I play, and that’s the only thing that keeps me going,” he concluded.

Virat Kohli has represented India in 113 Tests, 292 ODIs, and 117 T20Is since making his debut in 2008 against Sri Lanka at Dambulla.

He has scored 8848 runs in Test cricket, 13848 in ODIs and 4037 in T20I, with a total of 80 centuries across all formats. He is also the first batter to score 50 centuries in ODI cricket.

READ: Irfan Pathan furious over England players leaving IPL for Pakistan series

DUBLIN: Pakistan’s ace batter Babar Azam on Friday, equalled India’s Virat Kohli’s record of most T20I half-centuries during his side’s first T20I against Ireland.

Babar now has 38 fifty-plus scores to his name, which came in 108 innings, one less than Kohli. He has also scored three centuries.

Most fifty-plus scores in T20Is

Babar Azam: 38 in 108 innings
Virat Kohl: 38 in 109 innings
Rohit Sharma: 34 in 143 innings
Mohammad Rizwan: 27 in 81 innings
David Warner: 27 in 103 innings

Notably, Babar achieved the milestone with his anchoring 57-run knock in the first T20I of the ongoing three-match series against Ireland.

His fifty, coupled with Iftikhar Ahmed’s late onslaught propelled Pakistan to 182/6.

Put into bat first, Pakistan’s new opening pair of Mohammad Rizwan (1) and Saim Ayub failed to give them a steady start as the former got run out in the second over, courtesy of Herry Tector’s direct hit.

Following the early blow, Pakistan captain Babar Azam joined Saim in the middle and launched recovery.

The duo batted sensibly and added 85 runs for the second wicket until the left-handed opener faltered.

Saim fell rigorously short of his maiden T20I hundred and walked back in the 12th over after scoring a brisk 45. His 29-ball knock featured four boundaries and three sixes.

Babar switched gears after Saim’s dismissal and soon brought up his 38th T20I century in 39 deliveries.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

He, however, failed to get going and miscued Craig Young’s short-pitched delivery to Mark Adair at long-on.

Babar Azam remained the top-scorer for Pakistan with a 43-ball 57 with the help of eight boundaries and a six.

Pakistan then lost two more wickets in quick succession as both Azam Khan and Shadab Khan fell for a duck and thus consequently slipped to 123/5 in 15.2 overs.

Coming out to bat at No.7, Iftikhar Ahmed launched the attack on Ireland’s bowlers and bolstered Pakistan’s total.

He smashed three boundaries and three sixes on his way to an unbeaten 37 off 15 deliveries.

Iftikhar also put together an important partnership with Fakhar Zaman, who scored a scratchy 20.

Craig Young spearheaded Ireland’s bowling charge with 2/27 in his four overs while Adair and Gareth Delany chipped in with a wicket apiece.

READ: Iftikhar, Babar propel Pakistan to 182/6 against Ireland in first T20I