India batter Virat Kohli was seen in an intense chat with talented Rishabh Pant ahead of their crucial match against Australia in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. The two world champion teams will clash in St. Lucia on June 24, 2024, and the winner will qualify for the semi-finals.
Indian team management shocked everyone by having Virat Kohli open the innings with Rohit Sharma and promoting Rishabh Pant to the No. 3 spot. Playing his first tournament for India in 18 months, Pant has found his mojo in that position.
Pant has taken the No. 3 spot by storm. While his tally of 152 runs from five innings with a strike rate of 135.7. When Rohit or Kohli have fallen cheaply, Pant has grabbed the bull by the horns and played shots all over. The majority of them have worked, while others have not; yet, that is what Rishabh Pant brings to the table.
Virat Kohli unhappy with Rishabh Pant’s dismissals off reverse sweep
Rishabh Pant has dominated proceedings when he has settled in and it was evident from his 20 against Afghanistan and 36 against Bangladesh. However, when it looked like he would make a big score, Rishabh Pant played the reverse sweep and perished in the process.
Pant’s wicket saddened many people, but none more than Kohli, who appeared genuinely angry with his teammate’s dismissal. Shortly after Pant was replaced, Kohli was spotted sitting next to Rohit in the dugout, discussing something with the captain.
While no one knows exactly what they were talking about, Kohli’s actions implied that he wanted Pant to be more cautious when taking such hazardous shots, especially in critical stages of the game as the T20 World Cup 2024 approaches its conclusion.
Even the commentators shed light on Virat Kohli’s reactions to Rishabh Pant’s wicket.
“If he commits the same mistake twice – right now it’s fine – but in big matches, he can face problems because big teams don’t let these opportunities slip. Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli agree there. Because they know what Pant is capable of,” Piyush Chawla said on Star Sports.
Kohli then approached Pant and spoke briefly with him. Kohli’s passionate gesturing made it evident that he wasn’t thrilled with Pant’s exit and may have discussed with him how he should have been a little more careful.