Biggest load of rubbish: Former Aussie captain miffed with chatter around Virat Kohli’s T20 World Cup spot

Virat Kohli-starrer Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) beat Punjab Kings (PBKS) in match 6 of IPL 2024, in Bengaluru, on Monday (March 25). The Faf du Plessis-side chased down 177 in 19.2 overs courtesy of Kohli's 49-ball 77. With many questioning his place in India's T20I squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup, soon to be held in West Indies and USA after IPL 2024, Kohli silenced his critics with his fine knock, laced with 11 fours and 2 sixes at 157.14.

After RCB's four-wicket win over Punjab, former Australia captain Aaron Finch blasted Kohli's critics who are questioning his place in the T20I side. The Indian star batter returned to the T20I setup after 14 months during the home series versus Afghanistan, in January 2024. He is most likely to remain India's No. 3 in the upcoming T20 WC edition.

Talking on Around The Wicket, "I can’t understand why, every time there’s an ICC event coming up in any format, people always talk about Virat Kohli. Is he under any pressure for his spot? That is the biggest load of rubbish I’ve ever heard in my life. He’s the greatest player that I have ever seen in white ball cricket. It doesn’t matter that he strikes it at 140 and there are guys whose strike rates are in 160. If I’m picking a team, you’re picking a guy who you know day in day out gets the job done in big games. Just ludicrous that we keep having this conversation!"

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Kohli returned to competitive cricket after a two-month break, where he missed India's home Tests versus England due to the birth of his second child. Finch feels the 35-year-old is looking fresh as ever post his return and opined that it could be tough to lead a normal life when you're playing cricket for India.

He stated, "No surprise. Once you get into the rollercoaster of international and franchise cricket like the IPL, you can get into the mode of playing all throughout the year. I think for Virat Kohli, the 2-month break that he has had. He even said it himself, the ability to go away where nobody recognises him, and live his life."

"Because if you're an Australian player or an Indian player, just going about your normal life in India can be difficult. So it's no surprise that he has come back fresh, recharged and ready to go and looking to have an impact on not just the IPL, but also the World Cup," Finch added.

Kohli will next be seen in action during RCB's home game versus the two-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the iconic M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.