Rohit makes bold prediction about Kohli for final

‘Virat is a quality player and he is probably saving his best for the final’

India’s captain Rohit Sharma remarked that the struggling Virat Kohli is likely reserving his best performance for the T20 World Cup final after India secured a resounding victory over England to advance to the tournament’s final.

Despite Kohli’s continued poor form, managing only nine runs from nine balls before being bowled by Reece Topley, Sharma expressed confidence in Kohli’s abilities. Kohli has accumulated just 75 runs in seven innings in the T20 World Cup 2024 so far.

Sharma emphasized Kohli’s class and experience, noting, “Virat is a quality player. Any player can go through that. We understand his class. When you have played for 15 years, form is never a problem. He’s probably saving it for the final.”

India is set to face the undefeated South Africa in the final on Saturday at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown.

Sharma stressed the importance of maintaining composure, stating, “We’ve been very calm. We understand the occasion of the final. It’s important we stay composed because that helps you make good decisions. We have been very steady, calm, and that has been the key for us. We’ll try our best. All I can hope is to put in another good show come the final.”

Reflecting on the semi-final triumph over England, Sharma expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance. “It’s very satisfying to win this game,” he said. “We worked really hard as a unit. To win like that was a great effort from everybody. I thought we adapted to the conditions. They were really challenging. If we play according to the conditions, things fall into place.”

Sharma also highlighted the importance of setting realistic targets and allowing players to play freely. “At one stage we felt 140 or 150 would be competitive. Then we said 25 runs more. I can set a target in my mind, but I don’t want to let anyone know because all of our batters are instinctive players and I want them to play freely. I thought 170 was a very good score and the bowlers were fantastic.”

Rohit breaks another one of Babar’s records

Under Rohit Sharma’s leadership, India achieved their 49th win in T20Is, making Sharma the most successful captain in this format and setting a new world record.

Rohit Sharma surpassed Pakistan captain Babar Azam’s 48 wins, extending India’s second-longest winning streak in T20Is to 11 matches.

During the last Super 8 match against Australia on Monday, Rohit Sharma had set another new milestone by becoming the highest run-scorer in T20 Internationals (T20Is), surpassing Babar

Sharma now has 4,222 runs in 150 T20I innings. He overtook Babar Azam, who had previously held the record with 4,145 runs in 116 innings.

Former India coach Ravi Shastri has criticized Virat Kohli following the right-handed batter’s disappointing performance in the T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final against England in Guyana.

Kohli managed just nine runs before being bowled by Reece Topley. This marked the fifth occasion in the T20 World Cup where Kohli failed to reach double digits.

Expressing his dissatisfaction with Kohli’s form, Shastri pointed out that the veteran cricketer seemed out of touch and was attempting unconventional shots.

“This is not Virat Kohli’s game. He should play according to situations and play his natural and then he has capability to score quickly and catch up at the last. He is trying to manufacture shots. This is what you do when you are not in form,” Shastri said.

Notably, this was Kohli’s first subpar performance in a T20 World Cup semi-final. Previously, the former Indian captain had delivered crucial innings in such high-pressure matches, including an unbeaten 72 off 44 balls against South Africa in 2014, an unbeaten 89 off 47 balls against the West Indies in 2016, and a composed 50 off 40 balls against England in 2022.