The Australian opener, Usman Khawaja came up with a witty remark about World Cup-winning skipper Kapil Dev’s comments on Virat Kohli, where Dev had questioned Kohli still being in the Indian T20I setup despite a string of low scores. Khawaja implied that the Australian team would prefer to face the Indian team without Virat Kohli. 

Reacting to ICC’s Instagram post which included a quote from Kapil, Usman Khawaja commented: “Averages 50 at almost 140. Good call, Australia agrees”.

Kapil Dev said that if the veteran spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin could be dropped from Tests, why couldn’t Kohli be given the same treatment in T20Is? Kapil remarked that Kohli’s place in the T20I squad is not guaranteed, and the team management should look at giving young in-form cricketers have more chances rather than going with the reputation of players.

During a chat on ABP News, Kapil Dev said, “Yes, now the situation is such that you might be forced to bench Kohli from T20 playing eleven. If world No. 2 bowler Ashwin can be dropped from the Test side, then (once upon a time) world No. 1 batter can also be dropped.”

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Kapil Dev had no hesitation in saying that Kohli is currently looking like a shadow of his old self.

Elaborating the same, Kapil Dev said, “Virat is not batting at a level which we have seen him do over the years. He has made a name because of his performances, but if he isn’t performing, then you can’t keep the performing youngsters out of the team,” said the legendary cricketer. I want competition for places in the team in a positive sense that these youngsters should try and outperform Virat.”

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He further explained, “You can call it rest and someone else will call it dropped. Every person will have his own view. Obviously, if selectors don’t pick him (Kohli), then it could be because a big player isn’t performing.”