Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah set aside as Irfan Pathan names this player as the Control Room of Indian cricket

Former India allrounder Irfan Pathan has hailed Virat Kohli as the 'control room of Indian cricket'. The former cricketer's comments have come after Virat Kohli's starring display in the final of the recently-concluded ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

The India batting superstar was enduring a tough campaign in the competition. From the first game till the semifinal, Virat Kohli had managed to score only 75 runs in 7 games including two ducks. With nothing going his way in the competition, there were also calls from several quarters to drop him from the team as the critics called him the weak link.

However, the former India skipper showed his worth again in the final by delivering a Player of the Match performance. He roared back to form just when the team needed his services the most. Batting first, India were reeling at 34 for 3 inside 5 overs with the likes of Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav back in the hut.

However, Virat Kohli stood firm at one end and went on to play a brilliant knock of 76 runs to take India to a competitive total of 176/7. The score turned out to be a winning one as India restricted South Africa to 169/8 and won the game by 7 runs.

With Kohli delivering on the big stage once again, Irfan Pathan has hailed him as the player in the Indian team who controls the big games. The former cricketer-turned-commentator stated that Kohli has been India's go-to man in the crucial games.

Irfan Pathan names India's control room:

"Virat Kohli is the control room of Indian cricket. He controls the big moments, big matches, big stages of Indian cricket," said Irfan Pathan while speaking on Star Sports.

A legendary career for Virat Kohli:

After the World Cup triumph, Virat Kohli announced his retirement from the T20Is. Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony while receiving his Player of the Match award, the veteran batsman confirmed that the game against South Africa was his last T20I for Team India.

The monumental World Cup win was a perfect ending for Virat Kohli's illustrious T20I career. The right-handed batsman has retired from the format as one of its most decorated batsmen of all time. Only Rohit Sharma has scored more runs than him in T20Is. In the T20 World Cup, Virat Kohli is the all-time highest run-scorer.