Irfan Pathan, a former all-rounder for India, recently assumed the role of selector and created his dream team for the T20 World Cup. Pathan evaluated each player, noting who still needed improvement to guarantee a spot in the team and who had established themselves as strong candidates for selection. During the selection process, when the question about Virat Kohli‘s inclusion arose, Pathan said there could not be any doubt about Kohli’s selection, terming the batter as a ‘big-match player’.
The T20 World Cup offers India a fantastic chance to end their ICC trophy drought. It is scheduled to begin shortly after the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 from June 1 to 29 and will be co hosted by USA and West Indies.
Pathan emphasized that captain Rohit Sharma and the talisman Virat Kohli will be the main contributors to India’s batting power. Dispelling any skepticism regarding Kohli’s strike rate, Pathan emphasized the significance of his participation in the big events.
“People are talking about Virat Kohli so I would like to say that his strike rate in international cricket (T20Is) is as good as Chris Gayle or even better than Gayle’s. His strike rate as far as the Indian power hitters are concerned Hardik Pandya: 139 and Virat Kohli: 137 – there isn’t much of a difference. Rohit Sharma is about 139, Kohli’s at 137.
“Always remember the 82* against Pakistan at the 2022 T20 World Cup. Whenever this question arises in your mind, always remember he is a big-stage player, a match winner and knows how to chase. He will excel under pressure. So there is no point in questioning,” Pathan said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
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