Funny how people want him dropped from T20Is: Ponting silences Virat Kohli's critics before T20 World Cup

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has slammed Virat Kohli's T20I critics who keep calling for his ouster from the national side. Ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024 edition, which kicks off next month in West Indies and USA, former Aussie batter Ponting has lauded Kohli and feels the right-hander has a lot to offer to India in the shortest format. Punter added that Kohli will be his 'first pick' for India in T20Is.

In recent times, Kohli has been a target of a lot of criticism regarding his strike-rate in T20Is (138.15). The 35-year-old even entered IPL 2024 with a lot of eyebrows on his strike rate, with many raising fingers at his ability to keep the tempo of the innings up right throughout (especially in the middle-overs). Nonetheless, the former Indian captain has silenced his critics in style in this year's IPL, being the highest run-getter with708 runs at an average of 64.36 and a strike-rate of 155.60.

Thus, Ponting slammed Kohli's critics. He told the ICC, "It's funny with Virat. I think people in India just always try to find a reason not to pick him or a reason why he's maybe not as good as some of those other guys in the T20 game. He (Kohli) is the first pick for me for India."

Punter added, "He can play his role at the top. And if you've got the right guys around him scoring (like) Suryakumar (Yadav), Rohit Sharma's going to have a high strike rate. These other guys can go in there and play their way."

Kohli returned to India's T20I setup early this year after a 14-month break. Given how he has fared in the IPL, the veteran looks well prepared to tackle the tricky and contrasting conditions and nature of the surface in West Indies and USA, the co-hosts for the upcoming T20 WC.

Rohit Sharma-led India are placed in Group A along with Pakistan, USA, Ireland and Canada. They open their campaign on June 5 versus Ireland in New York.