India batting maestro Virat Kohli (AP Image)
Virender Sehwag also said that Rohit Sharma was close to getting picked in the 2011 WC side and he deserves to finish his career with one World Cup trophy.
Former India opener Virender Sehwag wants Virat Kohli to be carried on shoulders like Sachin Tendulkar if India win the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023.
Kohli, who was part of India’s 2011 WC-winning side, lifted Tendulkar on his shoulders alongside other players while carrying him around the ground.
Kohli was the captain when Indian team made it to the semifinal of the 2019 World Cup where they suffered defeat to New Zealand in Manchester.
Alongside captain Rohit Sharma, the 34-year-old will be the key for India in the mega ICC event this time around and Sehwag feels that the two senior players deserve to win the World Cup.
“These two senior players deserve to win the World Cup,” Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.
“Rohit Sharma was so close to getting picked for the 2011 World Cup but missed out. Later he became the Badshah of ODIs, he deserves to win a World Cup trophy because he is a fantastic player,” he added.
Sehwag further said that Kohli failed to get a century in the last edition of WC but he wants him to compensate for that and finish the tournament as the leading run-getter this time.
“Chiku (Kohli’s nickname) didn’t score a single century in the 2019 World Cup, this year I hope he scores many hundreds and ends up as the leading run-scorer in the tournament. Then, I want him to be carried on the shoulders and get a round of the ground,” he concluded.
In the 2019 World Cup, Kohli ended the tournament without a century but was in good touch, hitting five-half centuries while accumulating 443 runs at an average of 55.37.
He is the second-highest run-getter for India in the World Cup history with 1030 runs in 26 matches. He is behind batting great Sachin Tendulkar in the list.
An emphatic performance in the Asia Cup followed by a dominant show with the willow against Australia placed the Indian team in a good headspace going into the ODI showpiece but problems remain when it comes to zeroing in on the ideal playing XI.
India begin their campaign against Australia on October 8 in Chennai.
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