Former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has lauded Virat Kohli as the best batter across all formats of the game, highlighting his exceptional records and achievements. Singh, who is the ambassador of the upcoming Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, believes that Kohli deserves another World Cup medal to add to his illustrious career.
Kohli has been instrumental in India’s success at major tournaments, including the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup triumph. Despite his exceptional performances, he has yet to secure another World Cup medal. Yuvraj Singh expressed confidence that Kohli has the ability to lead India to victory at the upcoming T20 World Cup, where he will make his sixth appearance at the biennial event.
Recalling Kohli’s divine performance, Yuvraj admired the former’s understanding for the game and his confidence while chasing totals. “I think he understands his game really well. He knows if he’s there till the end, he is going to win the game for India and he has done that on some big occasions – against Australia in Mohali as well,” he said. “Once he had the confidence of chasing and knowing the situation, he knows how to bat in these situations, knows which bowlers to attack, which bowlers to take singles off, when to attack again, handle the pressure and knows when to change his game.”
While the Indian batter had an exceptional display against the Aussies in 2016, his 2022 outing was no different. An unbeaten 82 off just 53 deliveries against Pakistan in Melbourne was a testament to his zenith on the big stage. However, the run machine also displayed its pinnacle way back in the 2014 T20 World Cup. The tournament witnessed Kohli scoring four half-centuries in six matches where Yuvraj Singh also had the privilege of assisting the Indian batter from the non-striker’s end. The latter lauded Kohli’s run as “unbelievable.”
Furthermore, Yuvraj also talked about Kohli’s unmatched style of batting in nets. “Why I think he was so good was because every time in nets or a practice situation, he would not go and just slog balls,” he said. “In the nets, he would always bat like he was batting in a match. He put that in repetition after repetition after repetition. I have not seen that in many players. I think that is the key to his success,” he added.
As Kohli marks his sixth appearance at the biennial event in June, he will surely be looking to lift the trophy by bringing his A-game into play. While the Indian maestro is in no lack of form, being the highest scorer in the Indian Premier League 2024 with 542 runs from 11 matches, a second ICC medal might not be very far.
