‘He hasn't played T20 for long...’:Saba Karim discusses Virat Kohli's T20 readiness for IPL 2024

The India versus England series will conclude this week at Dharamshala, and it will be India's final international encounter until the T20 World Cup, which begins after the forthcoming IPL 2024. Virat Kohli missed the IND vs ENG series due to personal issues, and his return to competitive cricket remains a source of concern for supporters, regardless of whether he plays for RCB. This follows the birth of his second kid, 'Akaay'. 

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Saba Karim made a  huge statement about Virat Kohli ahead of the IPL 2024

Saba Karim believes that, despite playing little T20 cricket during the last IPL season, Virat Kohli would be perfectly equipped for IPL 2024. Kohli's current T20 record includes only two outings since IPL 2023, when he scored 29 runs, one of which was a duck. Furthermore, the former Indian skipper dropped out of the ongoing Test series against England for personal reasons.

Karim was questioned on Colours Cineplex on what adjustments Kohli may need to make to enter IPL 2024, given his lack of recent T20 cricket experience. Saba Karim said: 

'I feel he remains ready for these kinds of challenges. Many players at the international level relish this type of challenge and Virat Kohli is one of those players. I agree he hasn't played T20 cricket for a long time but when he gets such a big platform, he is always prepared to play match-winning knocks,"

The former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman made note of the fact that Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) hitters will have to put in more work during the 2024 Indian Premier League. He added: 

“The responsibility is there but I feel he is just waiting to accept that responsibility. Batting is a strong area (for RCB) but as Aakash (Chopra) said, bowling will be a concern once again. To alleviate that bowling concern, the batters will have to create a little extra buffer,”

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RCB took big steps by releasing well-known bowlers including Josh Hazlewood, Harshal Patel, and Wanindu Hasaranga ahead of the IPL 2024 auction. Even if they were able to acquire players like Lockie Ferguson and Alzarri Joseph during the auction, there seems to be a small worry about their bowling department, especially with regard to spin.