"Don't care about him"- Virat Kohli becomes irrelevant for this former Indian cricketer ahead of T20 World Cup final vs South Africa

Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has admitted that he doesn't care about Virat Kohli or his form ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 final today. 

Virat Kohli will be featuring in his second ICC T20 WC final when the Men in Blue lock horns with Aiden Markram's South Africa in the final at Barbados. The right-hand batter was a runner-up in this competition during the 2014 Bangladesh edition when he finished as the player of the tournament but India lost to Sri Lanka. 

Virat Kohli's T20 WC 2024: Far behind his perfect 2014 and 2016 campaign

2 years later on home soil, it was Virat Kohli who had conceded the winning six against West Indies in the Semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. 5 years later in 2021, Kohli captained the National team at a T20 WC for the first time but they were eliminated from the first round itself. 

One year later in Australia, Virat Kohli, who was the highest run-getter of the 2022 edition, lost his second SF match in the tournament and his first since 2016. This year, history seems to have repeated itself as India reached the T20 World Cup final exactly after 10 years. But there's a major difference between Kohli of 2014 and the current one, who is operating as an opening batsman for the first time. 

10 years ago, not only was Kohli the highest run-scorer but he also won his maiden Player of the tournament award for scoring a total of 319 runs. And a decade later, Virat Kohli is nowhere near the 300-run mark, let alone being a contender for the Best Player award.

Of the 7 matches played in Group Stages, Super 8s, and Semi-final, Virat Kohli has scored just 75 runs with a best of 37 runs against Bangladesh. It will be fair to say that Kohli hasn't been able to adapt to the opening position and the template of storming opposing bowlers by scoring runs rapidly.

Virat has the chance of proving all his doubters wrong in the finale tonight but Sanjay Manjrekar isn't too bothered about it.

Sanjay Manjrekar says the team is bigger than Kohli and more important as well

While speaking to Star Sports, Sanjay Manjrekar claimed that he is not bothered about Virat Kohli's form as long as India is winning matches. Manjrekar admitted that the team's overall form is far more important and claimed the team's new style of play is capable of seeing them lift the T20 World Cup 2024 at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. 

"Not really concerned about Virat Kohli's form because the team's form is far more important. Of course, India can lift the World Cup 2024, India has discovered a new template, the modern template of playing T20 cricket, and it's paying rich dividends so far." - Manjrekar told Star Sports. 

Sanjay Manjrekar then highlighted that South African pacers Anrich Nortje-Kagiso Rabada and opener Quinton de Kock are going to be the threats to India. "I would say one of the fast bowlers, either Anrich Nortje or Rabada or Quinton De Kock. In batting Quinton De Kock for sure." - Sanjay Manjrekar concluded.