Former Indian batting coach Sanjay Bangar wants Virat Kohli in India’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad. Neither Kohli nor skipper Rohit Sharma have played in T20I team since the conclusion of the 2022 T20 World Cup. Kohli had played a magnum opus knock of unbeaten 82 runs against arch-rivals Pakistan and his experience will come in handy in the next T20I showpiece in 2024.
Kohli has scored 4008 runs in 115 T20I matches at an average of 52.73 and a strike rate of 137.98 and he has been a consistent performer for the team in the shortest format of the game. Furthermore, Kohli has a great record in T20 World Cup as he has played some scintillating knocks, including the one against Australia in Mohali in the 2016 T20 event.
Kohli had 296 runs in six matches at an average of 98.67 and a strike rate of 136.41 in 2022 T20 World Cup.
Bangar said on the YouTube channel ‘Cricket Basu’: “Hundred percent, he should be there in the T20 team. What he did in the previous T20 World Cup and in those close matches, I don’t see the reason why he can’t be seen playing T20 cricket and next year’s T20 World Cup.”
Bangar, who has observed Kohli from close quarters as a head coach of RCB, said the team needs big players for the big matches.
“You know that in big situations where emotions run high, one small mistake could cost you dear. You need big players who have gone through those situations. At that point, it doesn’t really matter what your strike-rate is, or what you have done in the IPL, in big games you require big match players. He (Kohli) showed such spirit in the India-Pakistan game.”
Bangar went on to add that Kohli is such a batter who can score a century without even hitting a single six. The talisman is well known to rotate the strike at regular intervals and backs his methods in the shortest format.
“You know that in big situations where emotions run high, one small mistake could cost you dear. You need big players who have gone through those situations. At that point, it doesn’t really matter what your strike-rate is, or what you have done in the IPL, in big games you require big match players. He (Kohli) showed such spirit in the India-Pakistan game.”
Kohli scored 639 runs in 14 games at a strike rate of 139.82 in IPL 2023 for RCB.
