Yet another RCB outing, and one more excellent innings from Virat Kohli. Not just the volume of runs scored, but also the manner in which he got them was evidence that Kohli is in excellent form.
Let’s state this clearly. Kohli is batting extremely well, and his record in World Cups and big games should settle the selection debate once and for all. How can you look beyond someone who is batting this well and is also a gem of a fielder?
Also, his record in big games like Pakistan is unmatched. And yet, there has been a lot of discussion in recent times on his selection for the T20 World Cup.
Let me go a step further. Among the Indian batters likely for the WC – Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant – one has to say that Kohli has looked in the best form in the IPL. Rohit hasn’t yet fired, while Surya has been nursing an injury and is only about to make a comeback. Shreyas Iyer has looked reasonably good, and Pant is shedding off the rustiness. Jaiswal, on the other hand, has paid the price for trying to be over-aggressive on occasion. Kohli has looked in good touch in almost every game, and the volume of runs are testament to his form and fitness.
For anyone to look beyond him in this form would be a travesty. Even on Saturday night, he scored at a strike-rate of 150-plus, while the rest of the team scored at under 130. It would be unfair to blame Kohli for RCB’s showings, and it is him who has carried the team in more games than one.
As India’s best batter in the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022 and the tournament’s best batter at the 2023 World Cup, Kohli is a man for the big stage and will want one final opportunity to win a World Cup for India. His form ensures that he will get that opportunity. Anything else would not be fair, to say the least.
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