Sunil Gavaskar throws Pakistan challenge to Virat Kohli after failure as opener against Ireland in T20 World Cup

In a match where Hardik Pandya had the highest of highs and Rohit Sharma unlocked multiple milestones, batting icon Virat Kohli showcased a rare failure on Wednesday. Forming a destructive opening pairing with India skipper Rohit, in-form Kohli headlined the T20 World Cup 2024 opener of the Men In Blue against European giant-killers Ireland. Kohli's return as opener sanctioned the non-selection of Yashasvi Jaiswal in the Indian top order at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.

While Rohit went all guns blazing, Kohli mistimed his aggressive shot to record a forgetful day at the office. The former India skipper perished for one off five balls. Before India's meeting with Ireland, Kohli averaged 81.5 in the T20 World Cup. The senior batter successfully converted 14 of his 25 knocks into 50-plus scores. Slashing a thick edge towards third man Benjamin White, Kohli registered his lowest score at the T20 World Cup.

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Sunil Gavaskar sights silver lining in rare Virat Kohli failure

Though Kohli reached a new low in his first-ever outing of the 2024 World Cup, legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar expects the milestone man to bounce back against India's arch-rivals - Pakistan. Tipping Kohli to double his expectations against Pakistan, Gavaskar has backed the former India skipper to play another match-altering knock against Babar Azam's men at the grandest stage.

Babar Azam's Pakistan given 'Kohli' warning by Gavaskar

“The way I look at it is…great players like Steve Smith, Virat Kohli, Babar Azam and Joe Root. They fail in one match; they wanna make up for it in the next match. They want to score double the runs. So whatever runs he might not have gotten (against Ireland), you know, he wants to score double the runs. And who better to score double the runs than against Pakistan,” Gavaskar told Star Sports after India's win over Ireland.

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Regarded as the ‘chasemaster’, veteran batter Kohli posted fruitful scores of 78*, 36*, 54, 57*, 72*, 23, 55*, and 82 in India's run-chases at the T20 World Cup. Kohli's no-show against Ireland was his lowest score in a run-chase for India at the T20 World Cup. Kohli is the first batter to complete 4,000 runs in the shortest format. The all-time leading run-getter in the history of T20 cricket has 4038 runs in just 110 innings. Kohli was joined by Rohit in the special club as the Indian skipper smashed a quick-fire half-century to set up India's comfortable win over Ireland. Kohli-starrer India will meet Pakistan in its second Group A clash of the T20 World Cup at the same venue on Sunday.