Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh shared his thoughts on the recent report on the uncertainty over Virat Kohli’s inclusion in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2024. The tournament will be played in the West Indies and the USA in June this year.
Recently, a Telegraph report sent shockwaves across the cricket community, stating that Kohli might have to make way for younger blood as 'slow wickets don't suit him', and the BCCI chairman of selectors is expected to talk to Virat to chalk out the road ahead for the former India captain.
Kohli made his T20I return against Afghanistan at home recently, having last played the format for India in the T20 World Cup 2022. He had a superlative outing in the ICC World Cup 2023 and also had a good outing in the South Africa Tests.
However, he pulled out of the England Test series due to the birth of his second child, but Kohli will return to action for RCB in the IPL 2024.
Harbhajan Singh, who won the ICC World Cup 2011 with Virat Kohli, said that the ace batter still has unfinished business of not having won the T20 World Cup till now.
"The IPL is coming and then there is the World Cup. Virat Kohli's bat will make the same noise as before, probably louder. Of course, Virat has [unfinished business]. That World Cup trophy. He last won it when he was not Virat, but Cheeku. Won the World Cup in his first attempt but that's the funny part about fortune. But from there, Kohli went on to become such a big player but without a World Cup - he played in 2015, 2019, and now 2023 too. But still, the trophy hasn't come home, so he would be lamenting it," Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.
Kohli was 22 when India won the World Cup in 2011, just 3 years after his international debut. But since becoming a modern era great, Kohli has not been able to win any ICC silverware. He came perilously close four times – as captain in 2019 and as a player in 2015, 2016, and 2023, but couldn't get the job done.
He’ll be 35 when the T20 World Cup 2024 starts and 37 when the ICC World Cup 2027 will be played. Harbhajan refuses to believe that Kohli will end his career without lifting at least one more World Cup.
"A player like Virat Kohli not winning a World Cup? I can't digest it. No matter how many records he makes, or how many runs he scores, as far as I know, his hunger will never diminish. And a major part of it is to lift that shiny trophy. Every player's ultimate dream is to win a World Cup trophy. Your records remain for you until the end. But people don't remember records; they remember trophies," added Harbhajan.
