Simon Katich backs Virat Kohli to lead India to World Cup glory

With the IPL 2019 all done and dusted, the focus now shifts to international cricket as the ICC World Cup 2019 is around the corner to commence from May 30 in England and Wales. Along with the hosts England, one of the forerunners for the choice of champions is the Indian team. The Virat Kohli-led side is ranked second in the ICC ODI rankings and has a record that beckons such backing.

Former Australia cricketer Simon Katich has backed the Men in Blue to come good in the mega ICC event, which will also see five-time champions Australia aiming to defend their title. Buoyed by the returns of Steve Smith and David Warner in the squad. The quadrennial event will be Indian captain Virat Kohli’s first at the helm of the team and his third as a player.

I don’t want to write Virat Kohli off, says Katich

Virat Kohli was part of India’s 2011 World Cup winning squad and started his journey with a century against Bangladesh on World Cup debut. He was the deputy to MS Dhoni in the 2015 event, when India went unbeaten into the semi-finals, only to be beaten by eventual champions Australia. This will be a chance for Kohli to add another trophy to his already glittering resume.

“I don’t want to write Virat (Kohli) off. He has led India to a maiden Test series win in Australia. He is phenomenal as a skipper. There is no doubt he (Kohli) is driven to be the best as a leader and as a player. I won’t be surprised if he achieves that goal with quality players in the Indian squad,” Katich was quoted as saying by Times of India.

The Indian squad boasts of a strong bowling lineup with Bumrah, Shami, Bhuvneshwar, Jadeja, Kuldeep and Chahal leading the way with the backup of the likes of Rohit, Dhawan, Kohli, Dhoni and Hardik Pandya with the bat, making the team quite a formidable one. India starts off their World Cup campaign against South Africa on June 5 and will face arch-rivals Pakistan on June 16 in Manchester in England.

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