Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has praised Virat Kohli, emphasizing the irreplaceable value of his class and experience. Ponting highlighted Kohli’s impressive record, noting that he is the highest run-scorer in the history of the tournament with 1,141 runs at an average of 81.50 and a strike rate of 131.30, including 14 fifties in 25 innings.
Ponting asserted that Kohli is his first pick for India in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, citing Kohli’s ability to perform under pressure and deliver in crucial matches. He mentioned that Kohli, at 35, can still play a vital role at the top of the order, especially when paired with the right teammates like Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit Sharma.
“It’s funny with Virat. I think people in India just always try to find a reason not to pick him or a reason why he’s maybe not as good as some of these other guys in the T20 game. He is the first pick for me for India. He can play his role at the top. And if you’ve got the right guys around him scoring Suryakumar …Rohit Sharma’s going to have a high strike rate. These other guys can go in there and play their way,” Ponting was quoted by ICC as saying.
Ponting also recalled previous discussions about Kohli’s inclusion in the team, affirming that Kohli consistently proves his worth in important games, showcasing his class and experience.
“I remember having this chat and some other chats I did for the ICC about there’s some talk about Virat not being in their team only last year, but what happened when the big games come around, he was one of the guys who got the job done. So class and experience like that, you can’t replace,” Ponting added.
India’s T20 World Cup campaign begins on June 5 against Ireland, followed by a highly anticipated match against Pakistan on June 9 at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York. India will also play against co-hosts USA and Canada in their Group A matches.
India Squad for T20 World Cup 2024:
- Rohit Sharma
- Hardik Pandya
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Virat Kohli
- Suryakumar Yadav
- Rishabh Pant
- Sanju Samson
- Shivam Dube
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Axar Patel
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Yuzvendra Chahal
- Arshdeep Singh
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Mohammed Siraj
Reserves:
- Shubman Gill
- Rinku Singh
- Khaleel Ahmed
- Avesh Khan
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