Virat Kohli and his squad are gearing up for the upcoming World Test Championship Final (WTC) against Kane Williamson-led New Zealand, which will kickstart from June 18. The Indian cricket team has given some phenomenal performances to reach the final of the mega-event.
While there is no question on the consistency of the Indian cricket team, however, one question that has been on everyone’s mind is whether this is the year when Kohli finally breaks his ICC title drought as the captain of the Indian cricket team.
For the unversed, Virat Kohli-led team India has managed to reach the final of Champions Trophy in 2017, however, suffered defeat at the hands of Pakistan. Later, team India managed to reach the semi-finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 but was defeated by New Zealand.
Recently, in an interview with India TV, former Pakistani skipper Ramiz Raza talked about the same and compared the Indian skipper with the legendary football player Lionel Messi. He stated that on big occasions, temperament is the key.
He also gave an example of the legendary cricketer Viv Richards and claimed that he used to perform on big occasions, as he backed Virat Kohli for the upcoming WTC final. He said:
“Look at Sir Viv Richards. He always used to perform on big occasions. The WTC final will be a great opportunity for Kohli to score a ton and lead India to a trophy. He’s already among legends but leading India to the WTC trophy will be one more feather in his cap. A podium like this is a great chance for Kohli to enter into the club of ‘all-time greats’. He’s got the ability to do that. He just needs to manage his talent according to the situation,”
Further, in the interaction, Ramiz Raja went on to give the example of Lionel Messi, who is yet to win a major title. He also cited some similarities between Messi and Virat, both the modern-day legends of their respective fields. He said:
“Some big names like Lionel Messi are still yet to win major silverware with Argentina. It’s all about temperament. Performing in big games like a World Cup final proves a player’s mettle,”