Kohli has been rested for the ongoing three-match T20I series between India and Sri Lanka. However, the Indian batting mainstay will be back for the subsequent ODI series against the same opponents.
During a discussion on the Star Sports show ‘Cricket ka Mahakumbh’, Gambhir was asked whether Kohli would want to be a player with a very important contribution to a World Cup win, to which he replied affirmatively:
The former Indian opener highlighted that the number of World Cup wins is the best yardstick to measure a player’s achievements, observing:
No Indian player has won two ODI World Cups. Ravichandran Ashwin is the only other member of the 2011 World Cup-winning team who might have a chance to be a part of India’s squad for the 50-over extravaganza later this year.
“Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s experience will remain very important” - Gautam Gambhir
Gambhir was also asked if Kohli still has a huge role in ODIs, to which he responded:
The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Kohli and Rohit Sharma will have a huge role to play in guiding World Cup newbies like Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer, stating:
Kohli had an underwhelming 2022 in ODI cricket. The modern run machine managed just 302 runs at a below-par average of 27.45 in 11 games despite scoring a century in the final ODI against Bangladesh. He will hope to be back at his consistent best heading into the World Cup.
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