Bengaluru: Virat Kohli took a dig at his former Indian coach Ravi Shastri and ex-England skipper Kevin Pieterson for their on-air debate over the right-hander batter’s place in the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Kohli contributed a quickfire 77 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at M Chinnaswamy Stadium Monday night, hitting 11 fours and two sixes against Punjab Kings (PBKS). And with Dinesh Karthik hitting 28 off 10 balls at the back end of the innings, RCB sealed a thrilling 4-wicket win in the final over.
Kohli was adjudged Player of the Match and also received the Orange Cap, with 98 runs after two matches in the competition.
While speaking on his performance at the post-match presentation, the 35-year-old batter said, “I know my name is quite attached to just promoting the game in many parts of the world when it comes to T20 cricket, but I have still got it I guess.”
Kohli’s statement pertains to the discussions regarding his position in India’s T20I squad. During his commentary stint in the IPL 2024 match Sunday, Pietersen remarked, “The World Cup is happening in the USA. India are playing Pakistan in New York. You’d want someone like a Virat Kohli to help the game grow.”
Reacting to Pietersen’s comment, Shastri opined, “You have to build the team to win the tournament and trophy, not to grow the game. If you win the trophy, automatically the game will grow.”
RCB’s next match will be against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Friday.
