"He's probably saving it for the final" - Rohit Sharma addresses Virat Kohli's form following India's 2024 T20 World Cup semi-final win over England
Team India skipper Rohit Sharma dismissed any concern surrounding Virat Kohli's poor run of form in the 2024 T20 World Cup. The Men in Blue successfully qualified for the final after a dominant 68-run win over England at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Thursday, June 27.
India pulled off a near-perfect display after posting 171 on a difficult surface. They then put together a dominant bowling performance, which ensured that England were never in the run chase. However, one of the few issues that still plague the side ahead of the all-important final is Virat Kohli's poor run with the bat at the top of the order.
The ace batter scored only nine runs off nine deliveries before being cleaned up by Reece Topley in the early stages of the contest. This marks the fifth innings that the batter has failed to record double figures in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
However, the lack of runs does not worry the Indian skipper one bit as he expects Kohli to fire in the final.
"I mean look Virat is a quality player. Any player can go through this but we know his class. His form is not a problem. His intent is there and he is probably saving it for the final," Rohit said during the post-match presentation
"Very satisfying to win the game. We have worked really hard as an unit and to win that game was special. We adapted to the conditions very well and that has been our success story. We have played the conditions very well. Very pleasing to see how we came though the game," Rohit added about the match.
Virat Kohli's highest score (37 off 28) in the 2024 T20 World Cup campaign came in Team India's win over Bangladesh in the Super 8 stage. Overall, he has scored 75 runs in seven innings, with his strike rate reading exactly 100.
"All I can hope is to put up another good show in the final" - Rohit Sharma
The 2024 T20 World Cup marks the third successive major ICC tournament where India have made it to the final. They had made it to the final of the 2023 World Test Championship and the 2023 ODI World Cup but lost to Australia on both occasions.
"I thought we were very steady today which has been the key to our success. When you are composed in your mind, it helps you. We will try our best. The team is in good shape and all I can hope is to put up another good show in the final," Rohit concluded.
Team India are scheduled to play the finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup against South Africa at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday, June 29.