Virat Kohli has had a terrible tournament thus far, scoring only 75 runs at an average of less than 11 in seven games. However, Kohli’s overall figures and superb performance in his only T20 World Cup final will give Indian fans hope for a comeback game from the champion batter.
On June 29, Team India and South Africa will compete for supremacy in the 2024 T20 World Cup final in Barbados. Ahead of the final match, much has been said about star batter Virat Kohli’s form with the willow.
Virat Kohli is in the 6th T20 World Cup but has only appeared in one previous final, in 2014. He shone brightly in the match against Sri Lanka, hitting 77 off 58 deliveries, including five boundaries and four maximums.
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The elegant right-hander Virat Kohli led India to a low total of 130/4 in 20 overs. Unfortunately for Kohli and India, Sri Lanka easily chased down the target, denying the Men in Blue their second T20 World Cup victory.
Nonetheless, Kohli’s T20 World Cup final score of 77 and strike rate of 132.75 are remarkable.
His overall T20 World Cup record is nothing short of incredible, with 1,216 runs at an average of 57.90 and a strike rate of 128.81 in 34 games. Kohli is also the all-time highest scorer in T20 World Cup history, with an astonishing 14 half-centuries.
“I think there’s a big one coming up,” – Rahul Dravid about Virat Kohli
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Rahul Dravid, Team India’s head coach, praised Virat Kohli’s intent throughout the ongoing T20 World Cup, despite his poor scores. Dravid believes a massive score is on the way in the final.
Kohli was coming off a tremendous run in the 2024 IPL season, when he finished as the leading run-scorer with 741 runs, just before the T20 World Cup.
In a conversation with Star Sports following India’s semifinal victory against England, Dravid remarked of Kohli:
“When you play a slightly risky type of cricket, things don’t always go as planned. Even today, I felt he struck a really fantastic six to set the tone, but he was simply unlucky that the balls seemed a little bit heavier. But I like his goal and the method he used to achieve it, he also sets a good example for the group. I don’t want to jinx things, but I believe there will be a major one coming up.”
While Kohli has been looking for runs, Team India has had little trouble getting through the 2024 World Cup, winning all seven games before the summit clash.
If they defeat South Africa in the final, Rohit Sharma’s team will become the first to go undefeated in a single T20 World Cup tournament.
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