Usman Khawaja’s witty take on Kapil Dev and others’ criticism of Virat Kohli: Averages 50 at almost 140
India Today
Australia opener Usman Khawaja reacted to World Cup-winning skipper Kapil Dev’s comments on Virat Kohli, where Dev had questioned Kohli still being in the Team India T20I setup despite a string of low scores.
Australia opener Usman Khawaja came up with a witty remark about World Cup-winning skipper Kapil Dev’s comments on Virat Kohli, where Dev had questioned Kohli still being in the Team India T20I setup despite a string of low scores. Khawaja implied that the Australian team would prefer to face a Kohli-less Indian team in the tournament.
Reacting to ICC’s Instagram post which included a quote from Kapil, Khawaja commented: “Averages 50 at almost 140. Good call, Australia agrees.
Kapil said that if Ravichandran Ashwin could be dropped from Tests, why couldn’t Kohli be given the same treatment in T20Is? Kapil remarked that Kohli’s place in the T20I squad is not guaranteed, and the team management should look at giving young in-form players more chances rather than going with the reputation of players.
"Yes, now the situation is such that you might be forced to bench Kohli from T20 playing eleven. If world No. 2 bowler Ashwin can be dropped from the Test side, then (once upon a time) world No. 1 batter can also be dropped," Kapil told ABP News.
Kapil had no hesitation in saying that Kohli is currently looking like a shadow of his old self.
"Virat is not batting at a level which we have seen him do over the years. He has made a name because of his performances, but if he isn't performing, then you can't keep the performing youngsters out of the team," said the legendary cricketer.
"I want competition for places in the team in a positive sense that these youngsters should try and outperform Virat," he said.
