"You will first have to score your own runs" - Ishant Sharma on Virat Kohli's importance to India in new WTC cycle

Ishant Sharma has highlighted that Virat Kohli will himself need to score runs to make an impact for India in the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.

Kohli has endured a lean run in the last few years, with his 186-run knock in Ahmedabad earlier this year being his only Test century since 2019. The former Indian skipper was unbeaten on 36 at Stumps on Day 2 of the first Test against the West Indies in Roseau on Thursday (July 13) and will want to end his long wait for an overseas century when play begins on the third morning.

During a discussion on JioCinema, Ishant was asked about the importance of Kohli for India in the new WTC cycle, considering he will also be required to groom the youngsters, to which he responded:

"The most important thing is that if you are a senior player, you will first have to score your own runs or else the juniors will also ask what is the point of you being a senior."

The Indian pacer expects the modern batting great to be among the runs and has no doubts about his mentoring abilities, elaborating:

"However, I know that Virat Kohli will definitely score runs because of the mental frame he is in currently and the way he is batting. He knows how to groom youngsters because he has captained the Indian team for so many runs."

Ishant cited the example of Rishabh Pant to illustrate how Kohli had groomed youngsters in the past:

"When young boys came into our team, like Rishabh Pant or someone else, he never told them how to play in a particular situation. He always said that they should stick to their technique and should play the way they feel. If your captain backs you, it becomes a very important thing as a player."

Kohli captained India in 68 Tests. India won 40 matches and lost only 17 games under his leadership.

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"His next three years are extremely important" - RP Singh on Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli will hope to be at the top of his game in the new WTC cycle. [P/C: BCCI]

RP Singh also concurred with Ishant Sharma's views about the importance of runs flowing from Virat Kohli's blade:

"I totally agree with Ishant that his next three years are extremely important. He needs to score runs, not only for himself but also because a lot of youngsters are coming in and you are their role model."

The former Indian pacer highlighted that Kohli brought about a generational change in terms of fitness, running between the wickets and fielding efforts. He concluded by stating that his next three years are not only crucial from the WTC point of view but also the learnings the youngsters will get while watching him play.