Former England spin bowler Monty Panesar supports the Indian team to win the ICC T20 World Cup and also makes a bold prediction about India’s struggling player Virat Kohli. Before the final match between the two undefeated teams, India and South Africa, Panesar believes that the team led by Rohit Sharma will win the championship and predicts that Kohli will score a century against South Africa. “India will win the T20 World Cup final, and Virat Kohli will score 100,” Panesar said to ANI.
After performing well with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL), Kohli has been trying to score runs consistently in this major tournament. Kohli seems to have lost his momentum while playing as an opener for the Indian team with captain Rohit Sharma.
Kohli finished IPL 2024 as the top run-scorer, accumulating a total of 741 runs with an average of 61.75 and a strike rate of 154.69, including one century and five half-centuries.
However, in the current T20 World Cup, Kohli’s performance is quite different from his IPL stats. Despite his extensive experience, he has had difficulty delivering consistent performances in the seven matches he has played. He has only managed to score 75 runs with an average of 10.71 during the tournament.
The experienced batsman briefly appeared to be finding his form again when he hit the ball over mid-wicket for a six off Reece Topley.
But the English fast bowler got the final laugh when he knocked off the wickets’ tops, as Kohli tried to hit the ball to the edge of the field.
Besides Panesar, Rohit also supported his fellow countryman to put on a good show in Barbados on Saturday against South Africa.
“He (Kohli) is a top player. Any player can have moments like that. We know his skill, and we know how important he is in these big matches. Being in good form is never an issue. When you’ve been playing cricket for 15 years, being in good form is never an issue. He looks good, he’s showing his intent, and he’s likely saving his best for the final. Definitely (supporting Kohli for the final),” Rohit said during the post-match interview after India’s 68-run victory over England in the semi-final.
