T20 World Cup 2021: "It won't be right to question his place in the Indian T20I set-up" - Virender Sehwag on Virat Kohli

Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag has reckoned that it’s not right to question Virat Kohli's place as a batter in the T20I set-up. Sehwag's comments came after Virat Kohli captained Team India for the last time in a T20I on Monday (November 8).

Speaking at CricBuzz Live, Sehwag hailed Kohli for his astounding consistency in the shortest format of the game over the years. The 43-year-old added that Indian cricket is blessed with plenty of talented young batters but none of them can replace a player of the stature of Kohli.

Sehwag said:

"No matter how many youngsters come, there won't be another Virat Kohli. With the kind of consistency he displays with the bat, even in this current side, it won't be right to question his place in the T20 set-up. He will continue to play T20I for as long as he wants."

Former seamer Ashish Nehra echoed Sehwag’s opinion, stating that no batter can provide the kind of stability Virat provides while batting at No.3.

Nehra said:

"No one will give you stability in the batting unit better than Virat Kohli. You can't just load your batting unit with power-hitters, you need a combination of experience and youth."

Player of the tournament in the 2014 and 2016 T20 World Cups, Virat Kohli remains the world’s leading run-scorer in T20I cricket. The run-machine has racked up 3227 runs in just 87 innings at an average of 52.05 and a strike rate of 137.91 with 29 50-plus scores.

Kohli’s stint as T20I skipper ended on a disappointing note as Team India couldn't make it past the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup 2021. But the champion cricketer has left with a record any captain would be proud of.

Kohli led India in 50 T20Is, winning 32 and losing 16. He won bilateral T20I rubbers in Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies and Sri Lanka.

Lauding the Delhi cricketer for his stellar record in the format as captain, Sehwag said:

"Thank You, Virat Kohli! You captained India brilliantly and gave us a lot of memorable moments in T20Is. I wish you continue scoring runs and winning games for the country."

Virat Kohli ended his stint on a bitter sweet note as India won their final league stage match against Namibia but failed to qualify for the semi-finals of an ICC event for the first time since 2012.

Here's everything you need to know about the ICC T20 World Cup final.

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"Shastri's real legacy is that he has left Indian cricket in a better space" - Ashish Nehra

The fixture against Namibia also brought an end to Ravi Shastri's stint as head coach. Along with Shastri, the support staff also stepped down. Indian cricket took giant strides during Shastri's tenure, especially in Test match cricket.

He may have failed to help the side win an ICC title. But Shastri and his support staff, which included Bharat Arun and Vikram Rathour, transformed India into a battle-hardened side, especially away from home.

Nehra believes Indian cricket will take a giant leap under Rahul Dravid. He opined that credit should go to Shastri for leaving the side in a healthy state.

"Ravi bhai's ability to motivate players is incredible. He backs players to the hilt even when they are at their lowest point. As a former player, he knows what cricketers go through. The kind of environment he creates in the dressing room, results are bound to follow," said Nehra

He further added:

"The Indian team will move to the next level under Dravid and the Shastri-led support staff deserves full credit for leaving the side in such good shape. It would be an emotional day for Shastri because his last assignment didn't end well. But, sometimes, stats don't paint a complete picture. Shastri's real legacy is that he has left Indian cricket in a better space."

Sehwag also lauded Shastri for the success Indian cricket achieved under him. However, he reckoned that the latter did not develop a new superstar during his tenure.

"No doubt, the team performed really well under him. The only regret will be that he couldn't win a major ICC title as coach," said Sehwag. "One thing I'll point out though is he didn't create any new match-winners during his stint."

Shastri coached India in 184 games across all formats, winning 119 and losing 53.