India skipper Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli is among the greatest batsmen of the modern era -- there's no two ways about it. Kohli may have notched up a ton for months but his consistency and credibility with the bat hasn't diminished much. 43 ODI centuries and 27 Test tons, combined with an average of over 50 across all formats -- the right-hander has it all.
However, one thing that's been missing from Kohli's illustrious career is an ICC trophy while leading the Indian side. The 32-year-old has captained India in three ICC tournaments. Kohli's men suffered a defeat in the summit clash of the 2017 Champions Trophy and the recent WTC final while a semi-final loss in the 2019 World Cup stopped their run.
Meanwhile, former India wicketkeeper Saba Karim has said that the upcoming T20 World Cup could be "very crucial" for Kohli's captaincy career. Amid growing calls for a change in captaincy, Kohli would like to finally lift ICC silverware and end India's eight-year drought.
"The T20 World Cup will be very crucial for Virat Kohli's captaincy career. I feel the pressure is increasing on him. He himself knows that he has not won an ICC trophy as a skipper. He will put in the utmost effort to ensure that India wins this World Cup," said Saba Karim on India News.
"The T20 World Cup will be very crucial for Virat Kohli's captaincy career. I feel the pressure is increasing on him. He himself knows that he has not won an ICC trophy as a skipper. He will put in utmost effort to ensure that India wins this World Cup."
Reetinder Sodhi, the former India cricketer, also said that Kohli would love to improve his captaincy record by winning the T20I spectacle. Due to the current pandemic situation in India, the marquee tournament has been shifted to the UAE and Oman.
"If you talk about pressure, it is definitely there because you have not won an ICC tournament, which is very much required. You have been the captain for such a long time but in crunch moments our team has come under pressure and lost. So Virat Kohli will definitely want to improve there."
"But I want to support Virat Kohli because over the years he has captained for so many matches and never done anything wrong. If we win the T20 World Cup, Virat should definitely remain the captain. If we don't win, God forbid, then I feel it should be left to Virat," said Sodhi.
