Xtra Time Web Desk: Virat Kohli took aim at the critics of his status in India’s T20I side in his post-match interview, after he put in a player of the match performance for his side at the Chinnaswamy stadium on March 25.
Royal Challenger Bengaluru claimed a thrilling victory against The Punjab Kings in Bengaluru, with Dinesh Karthik hitting 28 off 10 balls at the back end of the innings to seal the result in the final over. Kohli scored 77 off 49 balls opening the batting with wickets falling around him. Scored his 51st half century of his IPL career.
After the match, Kohli received maximum awards and the orange cap too, with 98 runs from two matches. Speaking to Harsha Bhogle on his performance, Kohli said: “I know my name is quite attached to just promoting the game in many parts of the world when it comes to T20 cricket, but I have still got it I guess.”
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Kohli’s comment is in the context of the questions over his place in India’s T20I side. With a T20 World Cup 2024 approaching fast, Kohli has only played two T20Is for India since November 2022. Moreover, he was also reportedly been asked to bat more aggressively in the shortest format to secure his place.
Although he didn’t quite say it in as many words but sent out a clear message to all who would care to listen – he is not done with T20 cricket just yet. The message comes in the knowledge that he’s still a marketable name in the shortest format and the T20 World Cup follows right after the Indian Premier League (IPL) gets over.
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Also, previously while commentating in IPL 2024, Kevin Pietersen said: “You want someone like Virat Kohli to grow the game in America and globally,” suggesting that Kohli should be picked for the 2024 T20 World Cup, to be played in the USA and the West Indies, for the good of the game regardless of his performances.