Virat Kohli snubbed as former India star named ‘most important batsman’ in T20 World Cup final

As the Indian cricket team won the 2024 T20 World Cup, defeating South Africa in the final, the Man of the Match award went to Virat Kohli. His 76 off 59 balls took India to a defendable total of 176, chasing it, the Proteas fell short by 7 runs. Although Kohli’s knock was instrumental in India’s victory in the final, there are those who feel that he should not have received the Man of the Match award. In fact, former India opener Wasim Jaffer feels that Kohli wasn’t even the team’s most important batsman in the final.

For Jaffer, who was also India’s opening batsman, Axar Patel ranks first in the list of batsmen whose contributions earned the team the final match against South Africa.

“Virat Kohli didn’t score many runs in the tournament but he picked the right time to do well. The time comes, the man comes, as we say, his 76 hit made a lot of difference and kept one edge intact,” Jaffer said in his Youtube channel.

“I think the most important role was played by Axar Patel. The cameo he played ensured that India’s run rate never fell below eight runs per over. He took the attack to the South African bowlers and didn’t let them let themselves down. accommodate, forming a crucial partnership with Kohli,” he added.

Jaffer concluded the video by paying tribute to India’s two icons – Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma – admitting that their departure will create a big gap in the team.

“Two giants of the game (Rohit and Kohli) have retired from T20Is and this will certainly form a big gap. However, they rightly chose to go out on a high after winning the trophy and we must bow down to the true greats of the game and we will continue to see them in IPL, ODIs and Tests,” Jaffer said.