Former Pakistani wicket-keeper batsman Rashid Latif has heaped praise on Virat Kohli, who led the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to their first win of IPL 2024 against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Monday, March 25. In front of a packed M. Chinnaswamy crowd, Kohli came up with a masterful knock and aided his side in hunting down 177 in the second innings. Kohli charged his way to a resounding 77 off 49 balls, smashing 11 boundaries and two sixes in the process.
Following the match, Latif spoke on the Youtube channel ‘Caught Behind’ and lauded Kohli’s brilliance that was on show against PBKS. Latif even went on to compare Kohli’s greatness to Sir Vivian Richards, who was one of pioneers of batting in an assertive manner.
“There are players who play cricket and there are very few players who are improvisers in cricket, that player is Virat Kohli. He hits shots from wherever he thinks and Kohli does not work on a planned script. He is like Viv Richard, who creates his own shots. The runs that Virat has scored after losing his top three batters are very valuable runs.,” Latif said while expressing his thoughts.
Kohli began his innings with aplomb, smashing four boundaries in the very first over itself. He didn’t bog down despite losing partners from the other end and made full utilisation of the powerplay restrictions. He got to his fifty in 31 balls and kept his wicket intact for 16 overs.
Kohli’s tenacity is what India might need at the T20 World Cup
Latif’s quote further reiterated the fact that Virat Kohli is a bonafide match-winner. However, Kohli is himself one of those rarest of the rare breeds, who loves to dominate, especially when the stakes are high.
His hunger to accumulate humongous runs and the wealth of experience under his belt is what Team India might need at the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024. This year’s ICC mega event is scheduled to take place in the West Indies and U.S.A in June.
Prior to the commencement of IPL 2024, there were talks that India could afford to snub Kohli from the T20 World Cup. However, the way the 35-year-old has kicked off this season’s IPL goes to show he might dominate the proceedings once again. He is currently the Orange Cap holder of IPL 2024 as well, having scored 98 runs at an average of 49.00.
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