I'm not gonna sit here and say 'leave him out': Wasim Jaffer
Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer has reckoned that the premium batter Virat Kohli's place in the upcoming T20 World Cup will be considered after his performance in this series against England.
The former Indian skipper is going through a lean patch and is yet to click the triple-digit score since 2019. Moreover, a lot of questions have arisen after Virat Kohli's performance in the previous T20 World Cup and also during the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League.
In that case, Wasim Jaffer has suggested the in-form batter Deepak Hooda who has done well in the last couple of games for India.
In the last match against England, Deepak Hooda smashed 33 runs before being dismissed by Chris Jordan. In addition to that, the right-handed batsman also scored his maiden hundred in the 2nd T20I against Ireland.
Virat Kohli will get an opportunity to play a few matches: Wasim Jaffer
Wasim Jaffer has claimed that Virat Kohli would get a few games before the T20 World Cup and if he fails to perform in that, then he might be removed from the plans for the marque event.
In a recent interaction with ESPNcricinfo, Wasim Jaffer told, "Kohli plays, there's no doubt about it but his form will be taken into consideration. His IPL strike rate hasn’t been great.
He's not been in the best of forms. Deepak Hooda can give you an option with bowling so that will be taken into consideration but not straightaway," Jaffer was quoted as saying by CricTracker.
"I'd say Kohli will get an opportunity to play a few matches and then probably selectors will take a call but I don’t think he'll be a certainty because so many young players have done so well.
In the last T20 World Cup, the strike rate, that approach, was questioned and I think we need to keep looking at the future," he added.
"I'm not gonna sit here and say 'leave Kohli out'. I'd be wanting that if I was on the England side. It's a big decision to make. India has got so many good players coming through their system but Kohli’s got to come in. What do they say, form is temporary, class is permanent," Jaffer further added.