Former Indian chief selector MSK Prasad believes that Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli has set high standards for himself in International Cricket as everyone except him to score a hundred in every match he plays for the national team and reckons that the former Indian skipper would look to contribute to the team success in WTC final.
India will compete in their second straight World Test Championship final, this time taking on Australia in search of their first ICC trophy since winning the Champions Trophy in 2013 under MS Dhoni. Since then, India has advanced to the ODI World Cup semifinals in 2015, the T20 World Cup final in 2016, the ODI World Cup final in 2019, and the 2021 WTC Final but could not go one step further in the big tournaments.
Speaking to the ANI, Former Indian Cricketer MSK Prasad believes that people expect a lot from him, as he has been scoring for the Indian team consistently on a regular basis and feels that the captaincy pressure was over him for some time during his captaincy stint and hailed him for his return to form since Asia Cup 2022.
“He did not have a very great 2021-22. But that is because we expect a lot from him. He has set a very high standard for himself. He has to score hundreds in every match, otherwise, it is a failure. But he is a human after all,” MSK Prasad said.
“The captaincy pressure had him struggling for a while, but once he regained his rhythm and clarity, he did not look back. He has been in amazing form since last year’s Asia Cup, and has made centuries in all formats,” Prasad added.
The 34-year-old has been unstoppable since he recovered his form starting in Asia Cup 2022, In the BGT 2023, The former Indian skipper scored a Test century after almost a gap of three years and five months, with nearly after 1205 days. Kohli now has 28 tons in the longer format of the game, with a total of 75 centuries in international cricket.
I am sure Virat Kohli Will Deliver In The WTC Final – MSK Prasad
MSK Prasad feels that the Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli would be fired to win the ICC trophy for the country, as it has been a long time ever since the Indian team won the ICC event, and reckons that RCB opener would look to deliver for the team in high octane final.
“He (Kohli) must be having in his mind that India has not won an ICC tournament for years and must be fired up to give his best to help India win. With his form, state of mind in a good place, and his seniority being above 100 Tests, I am sure he will deliver in the WTC final,” MSK Prasad added.
Virat Kohli has scored back-to-back centuries in the IPL 2023 to finish his season with an impressive score of 639 runs from 14 matches and will look to carry on his form into the WTC final against Australia starting on June 7 in Oval.