Pakistan legend Rashid Latif has come out with a scathing criticism of Indian team custodian Virat Kohli amid their lackluster performance in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
For those unaware, the former India captain has scored just 75 runs in seven matches at the elite tournament, including Thursday’s semi-final against England.
Virat Kohli’s miserable 2024 T20 World Cup campaign continued against the Three Lions as he was run out for nine runs by Reece Topley in India’s third innings.
Virat Kohli led the batting order along with captain Rohit Sharma after Jos Buttler fielded first base, with expectations running high for the Delhi-born cricketer after six consecutive losses in the prestigious International Cricket Council (ICC) tournament.
Moreover, England had beaten India in the semi-finals of the last T20 World Cup, which was held in Australia in 2022, and the men in blue were all set to avenge that defeat. Virat Kohli is a big-match player, so everyone was expecting him to unleash some magic on the ground.
However, it did not happen as in that over, Virat Kohli hit Reece Topley for a six and then lost his leg stump while trying to knock him out of the park.
His fall this time came as he tried to increase the tempo after a slow start.
His latest gaffe, his seventh in a row at the 2024 T20 World Cup, drew the ire of Rashid Latif, who was on air during the India vs England match.
“Virat Kohli has gone off the plan. This is not the Bengaluru pitch, it’s a different pitch. It’s not easy to bowl on this surface. The entire team scored a total of 171. It’s not that easy, it’s a problem for the batsmen,” Rashid Latif said on Caught Behind.
Last time out against Australia, Virat Kohli missed a delivery from Josh Hazlewood in India’s second innings, the ball soaring high and Australian wicketkeeper Tim David took an easy catch behind the stumps.
This is the second time that Virat Kohli has been dismissed without scoring in this year’s T20 World Cup. In the group stage of the tournament, USA’s Saurabh Netravalkar dismissed Kohli without bothering any run-scorers, marking his first golden duck in the tournament.
Virat Kohli’s failure to score against Australia means he now joins Ashish Nehra on the unwanted list of Indian players who have failed to score twice in a single T20 World Cup. Ashish Nehra achieved the memorable feat in the 2010 T20 World Cup.
The former India captain has had a tough time at the 2024 T20 World Cup, to say the least.
The 35-year-old batsman started the season with a single run against Ireland in the top-tier international T20 World Cup, but suffered a disastrous defeat against arch-rivals Pakistan when he was dismissed for four runs.
Interestingly, this was his lowest score against the Green Army in the T20 World Cup.
In the Men in Blue’s third match of the tournament, former India Under-19 World Cup captain Saurabh Netravalkar scalped Virat Kohli for a duck, setting him on his way to the title and putting an end to Kohli’s comeback plans.
Virat Kohli did not seem at his best in the next two matches – 24 off 24 balls against Afghanistan and 37 off 28 balls against Bangladesh – but instead looked to be looking to score runs in the middle.
Still, Virat Kohli’s disappointing performance in the semi-final did not cost India much as they beat England at the Providence Stadium to reach their first T20 World Cup final in a decade thanks to some solid batting performances from Rohit Sharma (57 for 39), Suryakumar Yadav (47 for 36) and Hardik Pandya (23 for 13) and some excellent bowling from Akshar Patel (3 for 23), Kuldeep Yadav (3 for 19) and Jasprit Bumrah (2 for 12).
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma confirmed Virat Kohli’s inclusion in the opening line-up for India’s team that will face South Africa in the 2024 T20 World Cup final over the weekend.
“He is a quality player. Every player does that. We know what he is capable of and we know his importance in these big matches. Form is never an issue. When you play cricket for 15 years, form is never an issue. He is fit, he is motivated and he will be saving himself for the final. That is correct,” the Indian team captain said at the prize-giving ceremony after the team’s win against England in Guyana.
Like Rohit Sharma, India national team coach Rahul Dravid was also supportive of the premier batsman and emphasised that he will perform big in the 2024 T20 World Cup final on Saturday.
“You know with Virat, sometimes when he plays a little bit of high-risk cricket it doesn’t work out. Even today, I thought he hit some good sixes to set the tempo but he was unlucky as the ball went a little way. But I think his intentions and the way he does it are great. If he is motivated, he sets a good example for the team,” Rahul Dravid said at the post-match press conference after India’s semi-final win over England in Guyana.
“And for some reason, I don’t want to sound ominous but I feel like big things are going to happen. I like his attitude and the way he is giving his all on the field. I think he deserves it,” Rahul Dravid added.
