Former chairperson of the national selection committee MSK Prasad said that star batter Virat Kohli will deliver a great performance in the final of the ICC World Test Championship against Australia because his form and state of mind is in a good place. India will be aiming to clinch the ICC World Test Championship as they lock horns with the Aussies from June 7 onwards at The Oval. Virat will no doubt be one of India's key players in the quest for the country's first big ICC title since 2013.
Virat sets high standards for himself
In an interview with ANI, Prasad talked about India's chances in the final, form of senior players like Virat Kohli, skipper Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara and the inclusion of Ajinkya Rahane in the team. Prasad said that Virat has set a big standard for himself, leading to his fans expecting too much from him.
"He did not have a very great 2021–22. But that is because we expect a lot from him. He has set a very high standard for himself. He has to score hundreds in every match, otherwise, it is a failure. But he is a human after all. The captaincy pressure had him struggling for a while, but once he regained his rhythm and clarity, he did not look back."
"He has been in amazing form since last year's Asia Cup, and has made centuries in all formats. He must be having in his mind that India has not won an ICC tournament for years and must be fired up to give his best to help India win. With his form, state of mind in a good place and his seniority being above 100 Tests, I am sure he will deliver in the WTC final," Prasad told ANI.
Road to redemption
After 2021 and the first half of 2022, which went against Virat's gigantic standards, the star batter started his redemption arc at the Asia Cup 2022. Virat took a break of more than a month from the sport before the tournament. In the tournament, he scored his much-anticipated 71st century after over three years. He finished the tournament as the second-highest run-scorer. He scored 276 runs in five matches at an average of 92.00 in five games, with a century and two fifties.
In the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 later that year, Virat pulled off an innings of a lifetime, scoring 82* against Pakistan in a tense run chase at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He ended the tournament as the leading run-scorer, scoring 296 runs in six matches at an average of 98.67 and a strike rate of 136.41. He scored four fifties, with best score of 82*.
Kohli started off the year 2023 with an ODI century against Sri Lanka. He continued his brilliant performances in big events, being the second-highest run-scorer, and highest-run scorer for India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. In four matches, he scored 297 runs at an average of 49.50, with best score of 186.
Stellar IPL with the bat
Virat had a great IPL 2023 season, in 14 matches of IPL 2023, he has scored 639 runs at an average of 53.25 and a strike rate above 139. He has scored two centuries and six fifties this season, with best score of 101*. He is the third-highest run-scorer in the league so far.
In international cricket in 2022, he has scored 724 runs so far in 13 matches, 15 innings at an average of 51.71. He has scored three centuries and a half-century, with the best score of 186.
Since his return to the sport at Asia Cup 2022, Virat has scored 1,596 runs in 38 innings, with five centuries and eight fifties. His runs have come at an average of 53.20.
India's squad for WTC final: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Ishan Kishan (wk).
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Mukesh Kumar and Suryakumar Yadav have been named as stand-by players for the high-stakes match.
