India captain Rohit Sharma has jumped to Virat Kohli’s defense ahead of the crucial match against Pakistan in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

All eyes will be on Kohli when India take on their arch-rivals on Sunday (June 9) at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York. The former India captain recently faced criticism from various quarters for not playing in the warm-up match against Bangladesh.

The Indian team management and the BCCI again made an exception for Virat Kohli and gave him an extended rest after the IPL. As a result, he was not part of the group that traveled to New York. He joined the team just before the warm-up match against Bangladesh on June 1 and decided not to play in it.

Many criticized him for not playing in the warm-up match and the criticism only increased after he failed with the bat during India’s first World Cup match against Ireland. The right-handed batsman was out for just 1 run off 5 balls. With Kohli facing the heat, Rohit Sharma jumped to his defense ahead of the match against Pakistan. Speaking to the media, the Indian captain stated that he is not worried about Kohli’s lack of training as he does not depend on a single player to win the match for India. He said:

“Look, I’m not depending on one individual to win the game for us. Virat has enough training under his belt. The kind of experience he has, nothing can beat that.”

Virat Kohli sees a strong show:

While Virat Kohli couldn’t get going against Ireland, he is in good form at the moment. Before the T20 World Cup, he had an impressive campaign in the IPL. Royal Challengers Bengaluru finished the competition as the top run-scorer, scoring 741 runs with the help of a century and a half.

He will look to bounce back when India takes on Pakistan on Sunday. Kohli has an impressive record against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup and will look to make the most of it. In five matches against Pakistan so far, he has scored more than 300 runs with the help of four fifties.