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Virat Kohli has been in sensational form in the ODI format. The former India captain scored a brilliant century in the three-match ODI series against the West Indies National Cricket Team. He failed in the other two games. Ahead of the New Zealand ODIs, former England spinner Monty Panesar has praised Kohli and made a bold prediction.
The 37-year-old has already announced that the 2027 ODI World Cup will be his last, and he will hang up his cricket kit after that. But given his fitness and hunger, he might go on to play yet another World Cup for the Men in Blue. He has been the best No.3 batter in the ODIs in the world.
"Virat Kohli is still very hungry": Monty Panesar backs Virat Kohli post 2027 World Cup
While speaking with ANI, Monty Panesar stated that Virat Kohli is hungry and has the intensity that also inspires the young cricketers around him, and the former English spinner also gets motivated. He feels that when there are 10-15 matches left, the cricketers give their all. Panesar believes that Kohli still has cricket left beyond the 2027 ODI World Cup.
He said (as quoted by NDTV), "Virat Kohli is still very hungry. He plays with tremendous intensity, pays great attention to his fitness and motivates everyone around him. I also get motivated to go to the gym when I see Virat training. He was saying that this could be his last World Cup, but perhaps that is part of his mindset."
"When you think you have only 10-15 games left, you approach every game with full intensity, treating each one like an event. Virat comes in with that mindset, giving his best on every ball and in every moment. With this kind of intensity, I don't think he will retire after the World Cup. I believe he still has a lot of cricket left in him," Panesar told ANI.
Monty Panesar praises Rohit Sharma calls him 'great'
Apart from speaking about Virat Kohli, Monty Panesar also praised another veteran, Rohit Sharma, who is also possibly leading to his last ODI World Cup in 2027 in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. The English spinner further speaking on Rohit said that he is a great cricketer and when he is in form he mercies no bowling attack because of his destructive batting.
"Rohit Sharma is also a great player. When he gets going, he can be absolutely destructive with the bat. He is an attacking batter, hits the ball a long way and plays with a clear mindset. He can make a real difference for India, and I believe the team needs a player of Rohit's quality. He deserves to be given the opportunity to earn his place in the World Cup squad," Panesar added.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma current form
Rohit Sharma has been in good form as he ended up scoring a total of 225 runs across the three-match series against the Windies. The batter scored a brilliant hundred in the highest successful run chase for the Men in Blue at Guwahati, and when the chips were down in the third ODI, he once again looked sharp, missing the three-figure mark by 8 runs.
Kohli and Rohit will be next featuring in the ODI series next month against the Kiwis. This will be a tough challenge for both of them with swinging and seaming conditions. However, they have wealth of experience of playing at the Island country and hopefully they do well.
