The inclement weather in Lauderhill dashed Virat Kohli's hopes to end his low-scoring run at the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 on Saturday. India's fourth and final Group A game was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to a wet outfield. Rohit Sharma and Co. topped the Group A standings with seven points. Kohli, who failed to record double-digit scores at the T20 World Cup, has received the backing of former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar in the lead-up to the Super 8 phase of the ICC event.

Kohli's string of low-digit scores has sparked a major debate in Indian cricket amid the ongoing edition of the T20 World Cup. The former India skipper dominated the batting charts in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 as the ex-Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper arrived at the T20 World Cup after winning the prestigious Orange Cap. However, Kohli has been embracing a dry run in the T20 World Cup.

‘If you have gone for people like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli…’

Speaking to news agency PTI in an interview, former India batter Manjrekar explained that Kohli and Rohit are part of the Indian camp because of their ability to play defining knocks. If Rohit and Kohli deliver the goods in knockout games, Manjrekar wouldn't mind the veterans having an off day in the group games. "Ideally, if you have gone for people like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, then you have gone for experience. You want to take your experienced players in World Cup to deliver when it really matters," Manjrekar said.

'Don't mind if certain players are out of form'

"So, I don't mind if certain players are out of form. Coming into the knockouts, if they play a defining innings in a semi-final or the final to win the title, that's the kind of expectation you must have from your senior players. If a youngster comes to the fore, that's a bonus like it happened in 1992 with Pakistan, with Inzamam ul Haq. It's the seniors who have to make the major contribution and that is why I guess selectors go for experience in T20 World Cup or World Cups generally," he added.

Manjrekar was also asked about the T20 future of Rohit and Kohli after the World Cup. The former India cricketer and cricket pundit asserted that the buzzing question can be best answered by either the players or the selectors. "I think it's a question best asked to chairman of selectors what their plans are and the two individuals can tell what their plans are and how the selection committee is going to be thinking and I think there's fair bit left in the tournament before they start thinking on those lines," Manjrekar concluded.

Read Also: t20 world cup, west indies vs afghanistan: fantasy 11 prediction, teams, captain, vice-captain, toss and venue analysis