Rohit Sharma (L) and Virat Kohli© AFP
Former Australian cricket team captain Tim Paine expressed his concern for Team India ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024 and even served them a warning concerning star batter Virat Kohli. India are one of the firm favourites ahead of the competition but Paine believes that the campaign will depend heavily on how Kohli ends up performing. Paine, in conversation with fellow countrymen Aaron Finch and Michael Clarke on the ‘Around the Wicket’ podcast, compared Kohli to Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell and said that if the India star fails to perform, Rohit and Co will not be able to win the title.
“I can’t see India winning the World Cup unless Virat Kohli has a really strong World Cup – bit similar to Glenn Maxwell’s form. I know he hasn’t been red-hot as of late but I can’t see Australia winning the World Cup unless Maxwell has a blinder,” Paine said on the podcast.
Recently, Kohli opened up about his retirement plans.
“I think as a sportsman, we do have an end-date to our careers. So I am just working backwards. I don’t want to finish my career thinking ‘oh, what if I have done this on that particular day’ because I can’t keep going on and on forever. So it’s just about not leaving any undone business behind and not have any regrets later, which I am sure I won’t,” said Kohli at RCB’s Royal Gala Dinner.
“Once I am done, I will be gone, you won’t see me for a while (smiles). So I want to give it everything I have till the time I play, and that’s the only thing that keeps me going,” he added.
Kohli is currently the run-scorer in the ongoing IPL 2024 and will be looking to guide Royal Challengers Bengaluru to the playoff with a win over five-time champions Chennai Super Kings.
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