"I've Been On The Opposition When He…": Smith On Kohli's T20 WC Spot

Does Virat Kohli have a future in India’s T20 World Cup team? While experts may differ over the batting stalwart’s future in the shortest format of the game, veteran Australia batter Steve Smith only had good things to say. Sharing his own experience of being in the opponent teams as Virat Kohli produced some of his finest performances, Smith revealed how Kohli tends to excel under pressure and deliver masterclass performances time and again. For Smith, there’s no doubt that Kohli remains one of the finest batters in the world.

“He plays the situation. Some wickets you play on, your strike rate doesn’t need to be high. You play according to what’s in front of you. We have seen Virat play some masterclass innings and get his team over the line, whether it has been RCB or India. I’ve been on the opposition in the Australian team when he has done this against us on numerous occasions,” Smith told Star Sports.

For Smith, there’s no doubt that Kohli should be a part of India’s T20 World Cup team as he is the sort of player who knows how to handle pressure situations.

“What we know is that he plays extremely well under pressure. He loves that. It’s those players who you want in your team when you go into the World Cup and face pressure situations. You want the experienced players who stand up in those situations, and Virat is certainly one of those,” said the Australian batter further.

Having not played much T20 cricket since the conclusion of the last World Cup, Kohli would need to prove his worth to the selectors with a superlative show for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. With the opening slots in the Indian team already sealed, it would be interesting to see if Virat reinvents himself in another role for RCB.