Former England cricketer Nasser Hussain showered praise on India talisman batter Virat Kohli and said that he is always there in big matches. Kohli has not done well in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, as he scored 75 runs at an average of 10.71 after taking part in all the matches for the Men in Blue. Speaking to Sky Sports, Nasser pointed out Kohli’s performance against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the T20 World Cup 2022.
“I mean you go back to the game against Pakistan at the MCG, India were floundering. Who was there at the end smashing? That’s the biggest game of all time for the Indians. India-Pakistan, you know. So he is always there in big matches,” Nasser said.
The former cricketer added that no one should doubt the 35-year-old in big matches. He added Kohli has faced problems because of the pitches in New York.
“I personally think Virat Kohli should bat like he’s batted over the last decade. He’s got a strike rate of 138. He can be the glue, the rock, you know, they all bat around, and they all come in playing their shots. You cannot doubt Kohli as a player. You cannot doubt him in a big match. He has suffered because of that New York pitch because he had a brilliant IPL,” he added.
The Men in Blue will take on South Africa in the final match of the T20 World Cup 2024 at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday.
Both teams have had a contrasting run in the tournament. The Rohit Sharma-led side has dominated each side that they have faced in the tournament, including heavyweights like Australia, Pakistan, and England.
While the Proteas have, on numerous occasions, escaped by a narrow margin en route to the final. Bangladesh and Nepal gave them a run for their money in the group stage. In their final game of the Super 8 against the co-hosts, the West Indies, they almost sealed their exit while chasing the revised target of 123.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Topics mentioned in this article