World Cup 2019: Virat Kohli explains why he wants Faf du Plessis and Shane Warne in his team

Virat Kohli is without a doubt already an all-time great in the annals of ODI cricket. With over 10,000 runs from just 227 matches at an average almost touching 60, the right-handed batsman has everyone swooning over his wrist flicks and picture-perfect cover drive. The fact that he is just 9 centuries shy of breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI centuries is mind-boggling, given that he has taken just over 10 years to achieve everything.

Kohli will now be facing his toughest challenge as he will captain Team India for the very first time in an ICC World Cup. He made his World Cup debut in 2011, marking it with a century in his very first match against Bangladesh and was MS Dhoni’s deputy in the 2015 edition, scoring an amazing century against Pakistan.

This time, he has the expectations of over a billion people on his shoulders and the added weight of the tag of being favourites to lift the title along with England. In the pre-tournament captain’s interaction, all the 10 captains were given a hypothetical situation wherein they could pick any player from the other side and most of them gave many interesting answers.

Only Jason Holder said that he was happy with his current team. Bangladesh’s captain Mashrafe Mortaza picked Kohli to be in his team, while Proteas’ skipper Faf du Plessis picked Rashid Khan and Pat Cummins.

Kohli gives reasons for picking Warne and Faf in his World cup team

Virat Kohli, meanwhile, picked Shane Warne, the all-time greatest leg-spinner in his team and went on to justify his pick, saying, “There have been so many great players in the past and it is tough to name one. But, if I have to pick one player in my team than it has to be Shane Warne. I’m always fascinated by his bowling. Just being in the same XI alongside him and watching him bowl would be a treat for any player”.

He then picked Faf du Plessis as the player from any of the participating nations in his World Cup team and said, “It is very difficult to choose someone. We feel we are such a strong side. But if I have to choose one from the current lot…since AB (de Villiers) is retired now, I would choose Faf (du Plessis).”

Here is the video of Kohli explaining his picks:

Rashid Khan proved to be a popular pick, as New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson also picked him, while England’s Eoin Morgan picked Australian assistant coach Ricky Ponting. Sarfaraz Ahmed, skipper of the Men in Green picked Jos Buttler, while Kangaroos skipper Aaron Finch went for Kagiso Rabada. The choice for Sri Lankan captain Dimuth Karunaratne was Ben Stokes.

[interaction id=”5cd2bb96e66725e58af5134d”]