T20 World Cup, Rohit Sharma's Place in Playing XI: Kohli puzzled by 'Unbelievable' Question

Following India’s ten-wicket loss to Pakistan in their opening T20 World Cup 2021 match, Indian captain Virat Kohli faced some harsh questions during the post-match press conference, and was even stumped by one of the questions on Rohit Sharma’s status in the playing XI. Sharma was dismissed for a first-ball duck by Shaheen Afridi in the first over of the contest, and they soon found themselves in trouble after being put in to bat.

Sharma’s Mumbai Indians teammate Ishan Kishan was left out of the XI, and one of the issues was whether the former India U19 skipper could take Sharma’s place at the top of the order. Kohli appeared perplexed by the question and quickly recovered, saying it was a daring question to ask and describing it as unbelievable.

“It is a very daring question, sir,” Kohli said, before adding, “Because I played the XI I thought was the best.” What’s your take on this? You’re not going to play Rohit Sharma in T20Is? Do you remember what he did in the previous game?” The skipper didn’t stop there, adding, “Unbelievable.” with a sardonic grin. Sir, if you desire controversy, please let me know ahead of time so that I can respond appropriately.”

After losing both openers (KL Rahul for 3), Kohli anchored the innings with a 49-ball 57 to help India to 151/7, but they were outwitted by Pakistan’s opening pair of Babar Azam (69*) and Mohammed Rizwan (78*), who put on an unbeaten 152-run stand to give Pakistan their first-ever World Cup victory over their arch-rivals. Despite Pakistan’s superior head-to-head record, Kohli was not amused by a question about whether India treated Pakistan lightly.

“You know, it’s interesting how reality and people’s thoughts differ on the outside,” – said the captain. “There’s no shame in admitting the enemy outplayed us. They refused to let us in at any point and did not allow us to exert any pressure “Added kohli.

This was India’s first World Cup defeat in 13 meetings with Pakistan, and it was also their first-ever ten-wicket loss in T20Is. On October 31, India will face New Zealand, while Pakistan will face the Black Caps on October 26. Let’s wait and see how Kohli and his team do in the remaining matches.