T20 World Cup 2024: Ambati Rayudu snubs Virat Kohli again as he predicts leading run-scorer for T20 WC

Former Indian batter and six-time IPL winner Ambati Rayudu has been on the radar of Virat Kohli’s fans for the past few weeks, and even the commentator was called out by former cricketers for his unnecessary criticism of Team India’s batting maestro.

Despite the online criticism, Rayudu has yet again expressed his indifference towards Kohli, as he named a player who he thinks will be the leading run scorer for the Indian cricket team in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

After stirring controversy with his critical comments about Kohli during the IPL 2024, the former Indian batter has once again overlooked the dashing right-hander in his latest prediction for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, starting on June 2.

Ambati Rayudu overlooks Virat Kohli for Rohit Sharma in his T20 World Cup 2024 prediction

Overlooking Kohli, Rayudu has named a Mumbai Indians (MI) player to emerge as India's leading run-scorer in the showpiece event in the USA and Caribbean. Well, a total of four Mumbai Indians (MI) players are going to represent Team India at the T20 World Cup 2024, and they are Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya.

While all of them will play a crucial role in India’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign, Rayudu named his former MI teammate and Indian skipper Rohit as his preferred choice. He also believes that Rohit will shine as the India captain in the mega event.

Rayudu named Rohit as his leading run scorer for India in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, despite the fact that the fact that the Indian skipper never topped the list in the history of the tournament.

Ambati Rayudu said on Star Sports: “The top run getter from the Indian side, I feel, will be Rohit Sharma.”

However, Rayudu’s choice might irk some fans, especially for ignoring Kohli, as he was in red-hot form in the recent IPL 2024, winning the Orange Cap for being the leading scorer with 742 runs to his name, while Rohit struggled for the runs after a great start to the season.

Virat Kohli's stats in the T20 World Cup much better than Rohit Sharma

Notably, the MI opener scored more than 400 runs in the IPL 2024, but he looked rusty throughout the season. On the other hand, Kohli is the leading run-scorer in the history of the T20 World Cup, with 1141 runs in 27 matches, an impressive average of 81.50, and a strike rate of 131.30.

Mahela Jayawardene (1016) and Chris Gayle (965) are second and third on the list, respectively, while Rohit is the fourth-highest run scorer in the T20 World Cup with 963 runs in 39 matches. Kohli was also the top run-getter in the 2022 T20 World Cup, with 296 runs to his name.

India will kick off their campaign against Ireland on June 5 in New York, followed by the mega clash with Pakistan on June 9. The Men in Blue have already started training in the USA, and Kohli will soon be joining the team in New York ahead of their only warm-up game against Bangladesh on June 1.