“It’s hard to imagine India winning the Twenty20 World Cup,” Virat Kohli sent an oblique warning to Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid.

With the ninth T20 World Cup just a few days away, skipper Rohit Sharma and teammate Rahul Dravid’s final chance to win the coveted ICC trophy are fast approaching for the Indian cricket team. When his contract ends at the end of the tournament, coach Dravid will not be pursuing an extension with the squad, so although Rohit won the T20 World Cup in its inaugural edition 17 years ago, for him it’s an if not now, then never scenario.

Though opinions may differ, Rohit, Dravid, and Ajit Agarkar, the head of selectors for the BCCI, think that this is the greatest team India could have put together of 15 players for the World Cup. Along with Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, and Virat Kohli, Rohit is back. Yashasvi Jaiswal is the thrilling opener, while Sanju Samson, along with Rishabh Pant, has finally been selected as one of the wicketkeepers, paying his dues. Hardik Pandya is the team’s designated vice-captain, despite Shivam Dube’s rapid rise to prominence at the cost of Rinku Singh, who has been a disaster with the bat and the ball as well as the Mumbai Indians captain. With a group of their calibre, you would support them to win every manner, correct? Correct?

Well, the combined efforts of the Indians might not be sufficient if former Australia Test captain Tim Paine is to be believed. According to Paine, Kohli needs to perform better than everyone else if India is to have a chance in the World Cup. In fact, according to Paine, who discussed this theory with fellow Australians Aaron Finch and Michael Clarke on the “Around the Wicket” podcast, the likelihood that India will win the World Cup depends directly on Kohli having a fantastic campaign and vice versa.

“Until Virat Kohli has a really strong World Cup, something akin to Glenn Maxwell’s form, I cannot see India winning the World Cup.” Paine compared Kohli to Maxwell and said, “I know he hasn’t been playing well lately, but I can’t see Australia winning the World Cup unless Maxwell has a blinder.”

Is Tim Paine’s comparison accurate?

But the modern incarnations of Kohli and Maxwell are as different as chalk and cheese. While Maxwell has performed incredibly well, Kohli has lit up the IPL 2024 with over 500 runs, including a century to hold the Orange Cap. IPL 2024 has been Maxwell’s lowest season with just 36 runs from 8 matches at a pitiful average of 5.14. The only things keeping RCB in the running for the Playoffs are Rajat Patidar and Kohli, and their matchup against Chennai Super Kings on Saturday is a knockout.

Returning to Paine, Kohli appears to be back to his best. In the 2022 T20 World Cup, he scored the most runs (296 from six matches at an average of 98.66) and in the ODI World Cup in India last year (765 from 11 games at an average of 95.62), he was the top run scorer in both competitions. However, as past events have shown, leading the team in runs scored alone is insufficient to win the championship. This might be Kohli’s final T20 World Cup at age 35 because he will be 37 in the next tournament. Although he hasn’t yet won a T20 World Cup, Kohli will like to repeat his RCB performance for the Men in Blue on June 5, when India kicks off their campaign against Ireland.

General News Platform – https://ihtlive.com/
Entertainment News Platforms – anyflix.in 
Construction Infrastructure and Mining News Platform – https://cimreviews.com/
Podcast Platforms – https://anyfm.in/