Not possible to be without Kohli in T20 WC: Srikkanth

NEW DELHI: Former India captain and exchairman of selection commitee Kris Srikkanth has vehemently defended Virat Kohli’s place in the Indian T20 World Cup squad, dismissing rumors suggesting otherwise.

In January, Virat Kohli made his T20 comeback against Afghanistan in a three-match series where he scored 29 & 0 in two matches ater not playing the game’s shortest format at the highest level since the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final. The Ajit Agarkar-led selection commitee signaled their intent to include Kohli and Rohit Sharma again in the T20I lineup, indicating their desire to do so for the T20 World Cup.

Srikkanth emphasized Kohli’s pivotal role in the team’s success, highlighting his exceptional performance in the previous T20 World Cup where he was instrumental in leading India to the semi-finals.

“No chance. It’s not possible to be without Virat Kohli at the T20 World Cup. He is the one who took us to the semi-finals in T20 World Cup 2022. He was the Man of the Tournament. Who is saying all this? These rumor-mongers, don’t they have any other job? What is the basis for all this chater? If India have to win the T20 World Cup, Virat Kohli is a must in the squad,” Srikkanth said in his Youtube show.

As per reports, the national selectors and the team management are ready to take some harsh decisions ahead of the tournament. The BCCI doesn’t want to get involved in this and has let it to the selection commitee and the team management to take a call. It was also stated that Kohli might get snubbed from the T20 World Cup squad.

Addressing concerns about Kohli’s strike rate in T20IS, Srikkanth lauded the star bater’s ability to adapt to the team’s needs, pointing out his stellar showing in the 2022 T20 World Cup where he emerged as the tournament’s top scorer. With Kohli’s return to the T20I set-up earlier this year, Srikkanth reiterated the importance of having a reliable anchor in the bating order, especially in the challenging conditions expected in the West Indies.

“You need a guy who can just stay there. India need that sheet anchor, be it T20 World Cup or ODI World Cup. Without Virat Kohli, the Indian team cannot go. We need Virat Kohli, 100 percent,” he added.