If the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) were a ruling party before any political elections, they would’ve been facing anti-incumbency of the highest level at the moment. Several media reports around former Indian captain Virat Kohli not being in contention for ICC T20 World Cup 2024 are doing no good to the cricket board and its selection committee’s reputation.
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The castigation has increased to the extent that Kohli’s bountiful fans are issuing warnings to the BCCI for sidelining an all-time great. A fan with username @_shortarmjab_ on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) called Kohli’s devotees, who stopped caring about BCCI post January 15, 2022, as “visionary”.
“If whatever is being said is true, BCCI will get to know what the consequences will be. Kohli fans who stopped caring about BCCI after 15th Jan 2022 were visionary,” wrote @_shortarmjab_ on X.
If whatever is being said is true, BCCI will get to know what the consequences will be. Kohli fans who stopped caring about BCCI after 15th Jan 2022 were visionary
— A (@_shortarmjab_) December 1, 2023
For the unversed, Kohli had brought a memorable 213-match captaincy career across a period of nine years to an end by stepping down as India’s Test captain on January 15, 2022. The same coming across as a ramification of a controversy involving BCCI’s top brass was enough for some ardent fans of Kohli to lose interest in the richest cricketing body in the world.
Does Virat Kohli Deserve To Play ICC T20 World Cup 2024?
Yes. However, at this point in time, ideally, it should’ve been more about should he play than will he play. Unfortunately, his participation in the next T20 World Cup has been conveniently converted into a face-off against Rohit Sharma in a player-obsessed country such as India.
On pure cricketing merit, Virat Kohli still qualifies to play all the three formats of international cricket. Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, not so much in T20Is. Assuming the latter adds to his 148 appearances in the shortest format, it will solely be because of an out-of-form captain enjoying perks of being a leader – something which won’t be happening for the first time in cricket.
In the general run of things, neither Kohli nor Sharma should be part of the Indian squad for the ninth T20 World Cup next year. Frankly speaking, it shouldn’t be about whether they deserve to play or not but more about them denying chances to younger players. Been there and done that over the years, one expects both Kohli and Sharma to allow other deserving cricketers a shot at winning India an ICC tournament. Sharma, in particular, should cast his mind back to how his T20I debut would’ve been delayed had seniors at the time hadn’t made themselves unavailable for ICC World Twenty20 2007.
Thankfully, neither of the two has been named in India’s T20I squad for a forthcoming tour of South Africa. Having said that, what has irked Kohli’s fans is Dainik Jagran journalist Abhishek Tripathi reporting that the BCCI are looking to select a team for the next world event under Sharma’s captaincy.
On top of that, there appears to be no place for Kohli as per Tripathi’s report which claims that one out of Shubman Gill or Yashasvi Jaiswal is likely to partner Rohit at the top of the order. Batting at No. 3 in the ongoing five-match series against Australia, wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan is expected to continue in the same role.
Taking into assumption that the same turns into reality, both Kohli, highest run-scorer in T20Is and T20I World Cups, and his fans will be well within their rights to feel dejected. Whether it will be unfair on Virat? Surely yes. Whether it will be surprising? Surely no.
