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Virat Kohli
Cricketing icon Virat Kohli, part of the victorious 2024 squad, on Sunday lauded India for winning an unprecedented back-to-back T20 World Cup title, saying there was no match for the explosive cricket played by Suryakumar Yadav and Co. Kohli had announced his retirement from the shortest format after guiding India to a drought ending ICC title in Barbados back in June 2024. "Champions. Phenomenal win for Team India in Ahmedabad. Absolutely no match for the explosive cricket played by us throughout the tournament. Brilliant character shown by the boys to keep fighting in tough situations and become world champions once again. "Congratulations to all the players and all the members of the management for achieving this feat. Jai Hind," wrote Kohli on X. Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar said India were the deserving winners of the trophy. "Winning the World Cup twice in a row, the first time any team has done so in the T20 format. Totally deserving and rightful winners of the trophy.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's director of cricket Mo Bobat expressed his awe at Virat Kohli's "ridiculous" record over 18 years, stating that providing a championship-winning side was the least the think tank could do for the superstar who has given his youth and prime to the IPL team. RCB will enter the upcoming IPL as defending champions, having won their maiden title last season after a long wait of 18 years. Speaking about Kohli's stature within the franchise, Bobat said on RCB Podcast, "Virat Kohli, obviously, I think he'll forever be the icon and the hero of this team. I don't think that's going to go away, and he deserves that. His track record is incredible." "I remember at one point last season seeing his stats when he got to however many runs it was -- close to 9,000 runs -- 18 years wearing just one shirt. That's 500 runs a season. "It's actually ridiculous. For seven years or something like that, some players would be happy with a 500-run season. He averages 500 runs a
India batting stalwart Virat Kohli on Sunday said he's backing a counterattacking approach early in his innings rather than waiting for the game to drift after his fluent 91-ball 93 laid the foundation for India's four-wicket win against New Zealand in the first ODI here. Kohli was adjudged the Player of the Match for his masterly knock which set up India's successful chase of a stiff 301-run target. "Honestly, if we were batting first today, I would have probably gone harder. Because there was a total on the board, I had to buckle down and play the situation. But I was feeling like I wanted to hit more boundaries," he said after the match. Kohli said his mindset at No. 3 has evolved, with a greater emphasis on putting the opposition under pressure immediately after a wicket. "The basic idea is I batted at number three, so if the situation is a bit tricky, I backed myself to counter-attack now rather than just trying to play the situation in," he said. "Because some ball has your