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India was defeated by Australia in the final of the 2023 Cricket World Cup on November 19, despite entering the summit clash with an undefeated record. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly humorously remarked that Rohit Sharma might take a plunge into the ocean in Barbados if India loses the upcoming final too.
"He has led in two World Cup finals with an unbeaten record. That reflects his captaincy and leadership qualities, and it doesn't surprise me because he took over as captain during my tenure as BCCI president, when Virat decided he didn't want to lead India anymore," Ganguly said, as quoted by PTI.
Kohli's challenges persist despite recent strong performances. Following an impressive display in the ODI World Cup and IPL 2024, where he earned Player of the Tournament and Orange Cap honors respectively, fans anticipated Virat Kohli's domination in the T20 World Cup 2024. However, he has only managed a disappointing 75 runs in 7 innings so far. Shastri is advocating for a change in strategy. The former India coach believes Kohli needs to adjust his batting approach according to the game's demands. Shastri observes that Kohli is attempting shots that aren't yielding results and advises him to revert to his natural style of play. He remains confident that Kohli possesses the capability to recover and perform later in innings if he trusts his instincts.
During the group stage, Kohli accumulated only 5 runs across 3 innings, with scores of 1, 4, and 0. He showed signs of promise in the Super 8 phase, scoring 24 against Afghanistan and 37 against Bangladesh, but failed to convert these starts into substantial innings. His performance in the latest match marked his third single-digit score and second duck of the World Cup. The spotlight was squarely on Virat Kohli during the crucial T20 World Cup semifinal against England, where he was expected to leverage his reputation for thriving in pressure situations. Despite a positive start with a six off England's Reece Topley in the third over, Kohli struggled thereafter at the crease. Topley quickly struck back, dismissing Kohli for just 9 runs two balls later. This early setback by Topley, who delivered a technically precise ball that swung back in late at a good length, dampened the spirits of Indian fans. Kohli attempted to create room for a mid-wicket shot by positioning himself leg-side, but was completely outplayed as the ball crashed into his stumps, abruptly ending his innings.