As the World Cup progresses near, the doubts over Virat Kohli’s place in the team are looming too due to his consistent poor form in all the formats.
His absence from the Proteas and West Indies tour has received backlash from former experts, who believe an out-of-form player should look for more opportunities.
Despite support from the captain, coach, and teammates, Kohli's inclusion in the T20 World Cup squad is likely assured. Similarly, former World Cup-winning goalkeeper Syed Kirmani has weighed in on Kohli's World Cup prospects.
Kirmani backed Kohli to be in Australia with the team and said, “No matter what, Kohli should play the T20 World Cup.”
Unlike other experts who feel that a place in the team should not be out of a player’s stature, Kirmani has backed Kohli based on his stature and feels that he is just one inning away from roaring back to form.
He said, “Virat Kohli has loads of experience. He should be in the T20 World Cup squad. Once Kohli returns to form, he will be unstoppable. He could be a game-changer. A player with Kohli’s experience and abilities deserves to be in the World Cup squad.”
He said, “There is tough competition in the Indian team. Look, had it been someone else in place of Virat, he would’ve been dropped from the team by now. But I feel that an established player should be given the benefit of the doubt.”