Virat Kohli remains ex-India star's top scorer pick at T20 World Cup after golden duck vs USA: 'Do not write off...'

Is Virat Kohli embracing a lean patch? Former India opener Wasim Jaffer has issued a fresh warning against writing off the talismanic batter of the Indian team. With India all set to enter the Super 8 stage of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, Kohli's form is the focal point for the 2007 champions. Launching their bid for the second world title in the shortest format, Rohit's Team India has lived up to the favourites with impressive wins over Ireland, Pakistan and the United States of America (USA).

Though India are the only unbeaten side after their first three Group A games, Kohli has hardly made an impact with the willow in any of the previous encounters of the ICC event. The former Indian skipper extended his low-scoring run in the T20 World Cup on Wednesday. Kohli was handed a golden duck by Mumbai-born pacer Saurabh Netravalkar in match No.25 of the ICC T20 World Cup between India and the USA. With Kohli capping off another forgetful day at the office, the 35-year-old needs to catch up in the race for the T20 World Cup’s top-scorer honour.

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‘Do not write off Virat Kohli’

Kohli was tipped to finish as the leading run-getter at the T20 World Cup after a run-fest season in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Interestingly, former Indian opener Jaffer had also backed Kohli to top the batting charts in the ICC event co-hosted by former champions West Indies and the USA. "Rohit and Virat have been playing on the tough New York pitch so they aren't quite among the top run-scorers. But do not write off Virat Kohli. As the tournament will get to its business end, he will show his true colours and he will show his greatness. I had picked Virat Kohli as the highest run-scorer and I will stick to him," Jaffer said on YouTube.

'Don't think Kohli should bat at No. 3'

Kohli recorded his second duck in the shortest format of the game yesterday. The former India skipper has notched up six ducks in T20Is. The 35-year-old bagged his first golden duck against Afghanistan in January. Opening the innings with skipper Rohit, batting maestro Kohli has registered scores of 1 (against Ireland), four (against Pakistan), and zero (against the USA) in the T20 World Cup. "I don't think Virat Kohli should bat at No. 3. He should continue to open because now you have got Rishabh Pant at No. 3 and now it has been working out really well. You ideally want a left-hand right-hand opening combination and while you have Jaiswal, that doesn't seem possible," Jaffer added.