The BCCI had issued an ultimatum to all players contracted with the board to feature in domestic tournaments in India when they are not associated with the Indian team or are not on international duty. However, recent claims have been made to exclude Virat Kohli from such obligations.
India lost the ODI series to New Zealand by a 2-1 margin after losses in Rajkot and Indore. However, Virat Kohli, the Indian legend, did not fail his fans as he gave a power-packed performance in the nation.
Virat Kohli, the batter, has retired from the two remaining formats of international cricket and continues to feature only in the longer format of limited-overs cricket. Kohli is a true veteran of the format with the second-highest number of runs and the most centuries.
Your daily dose of cricket!
“He comes, scores runs, and then goes back to London,” Mohammad Kaif’s hilarious remark on Virat Kohli
Former RCBian Mohammad Kaif has heaped praise on the Indian star following his superb streak against New Zealand in the series. He has neglected the outcomes and has focused on the greatness and the heroics of the legendary batter.
He pointed out that Kohli, who does not stay in India anymore, returns to India, scores runs in abundance, and flies back to London. He reckoned that it is not easy to be so consistent despite such little gametime; however, that is what makes Kohli different from his counterparts.
“Virat has become the player who is seen once in a while now. But he comes, scores runs, and then goes back to London. It has become like that. He comes, scores, and goes. It is not easy to score so consistently when you are not playing regularly.
“But it is his passion, his fitness, his pride to play for the country, his knowledge of the game, and his own preparation. He has proved it,” he said on his YouTube channel.
“There is no need for him to play domestic now,” Kaif demands special status for Virat Kohli from the BCCI
Kaif, who has been amazed by the way Kohli has been batting ever since he retired from Tests and is focused entirely on the 50-over format, claimed that the legendary batter should be relieved of any obligation to play domestic cricket. Previously, Jasprit Bumrah was given such a special status by the BCCI.
Virat Kohli scored 240 runs in these three matches against New Zealand with an average of 80 and a strike rate of nearly 115. In the last 19 appearances for India, Kohli has 0, 0, 74*, 135, 102, 65*, 93, 23, and 124.
“There is no need for him to play domestic now. Anyone can get match practice, but the passion he has, it is not available in any market. Where will you get that from? Even in the last game, he was the hope. Virat will single-handedly win against 10 players in front of him, too,” he added.
Mohammad Kaif suggests India are winning due to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli
Mohammad Kaif has also pointed out the importance of Rohit Sharma in the Indian team alongside Virat Kohli. He has stated that they are in the team for the 2027 World Cup and should never be questioned.
He pointed out that in the last 10 ODI games, the number of times India managed to win a match, it was either Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma who were awarded the man of the match.
“Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, in the last 10 ODIs, whenever India has won, either of these two have been the Man of the Match. So you will not be able to go ahead without them, if that was the plan. How will you? They are there when the team is winning,” Kaif observed.
Kaif also felt that Rohit Sharma’s removal from captaincy was a hasty move, and instead, the decision should have been left for him to make. It would have been the deserved bit of respect for a goated captain like Sharma.
“Removing Rohit, who was such a big captain, was also the wrong move. It would have been smart to let him be the captain and ask him if he was getting tired. He should have been allowed to take the call,” he added.
