T20 World Cup 2024: "Virat Kohli is the last man standing when.."- Irfan Pathan's striking verdict

Former Indian all-rounder and commentator, Irfan Pathan, heaped praise on Virat Kohli and backed the former skipper to play a key role in Team India’s campaign at the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024, which is set to be held in the USA and West Indies from June 1.

There were a lot of talks over Kohli’s strike rate in T20 cricket, but despite being in the twilight of his career, the dashing right-hander is in red-hot form in the ongoing IPL 2024, and it made him an obvious choice for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024.

Kohli was named in India’s preliminary 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, and Pathan believes the former Indian skipper will be the key batter for the Men in Blue during tough chases at the mega event. He also highlighted Kohli's good form in the ongoing IPL 2024, where he has already scored 500 runs at a strike rate of 147.49.

Jab waqt aata hai, yehi Virat Kohli akela khada hota hai: Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan said on Star Sports: “Jab waqt aata hai, yehi player akela khada hota hai, Virat Kohli (when it's required, he is the player who stands alone). Believe me, there will be a point during the T20 World Cup when there will be need, and the guy you will find chasing it till the end will be him, Virat Kohli.”

Pathan highlighted Kohli's exceptional prowess in chasing targets and his record as a chase master, as he recalled a memorable instance during the 2022 T20 World Cup in Melbourne.

In a high-pressure India versus Pakistan match, Kohli's remarkable performance stood out, as he struck two crucial sixes off Haris Rauf and went on to play an unbeaten knock of 82 runs off 53 balls to guide the Men in Blue to a memorable four-wicket win over Pakistan.

Pathan added, “Pick all the big matches, especially when chasing, you won't find a bigger player than him in T20 cricket. He has a calculative mind. (He is like) 'You keep talking about strike rate, I will keep talking about chasing runs and the target.' Never doubt Virat Kohli. I was saying the same thing even when the squad was not yet selected. He is a big-match player, a World Cup player. When the World Cup comes, he will have an impact.”

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Notably, the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 will be played in the Caribbean and USA from June 2 to 29 between 20 teams across the globe. India will open its T20 World Cup 2024 campaign against Ireland on June 5 in New York, followed by the big group match against Pakistan at the same venue on June 9.

India’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj

Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan