Following a disappointing exit from IPL 2023, Virat Kohli has turned his attention to the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at The Oval. Kohli, who has arrived in London, has already started his preparations for the much-anticipated match. In a recent social media post, he provided an update to his fans, sparking a fiery response from a Pakistan cricket legend who made a bold prediction about the former Indian skipper.
India’s impressive victory over Australia in the Border-Gavaskar series before the start of IPL 2023 secured their place in the second consecutive WTC final. Kohli had previously led the Indian side to the summit clash in 2021 but suffered defeat against New Zealand at Lord’s. Although the 33-year-old no longer holds any captaincy roles, having stepped down last year, he remains hopeful and confident in his ability to inspire the No.1 ranked Test side to their first ICC win in 10 years.
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Upon his arrival in London, Kohli took to Twitter to share a glimpse of his practice session, captioning it “The whites.” Former Pakistan cricketer Saeed Anwar retweeted the post and made an exhilarating prediction, stating that Kohli will score back-to-back hundreds in the WTC final, while also wishing him luck.
“Can’t wait for the huge 100 in both innings of the big-stage game, wishing you all the best Virat. #WTCFinal,” he tweeted.
Can’t wait for the huge 💯 in both innings of the big-stage game, wishing you all the best Virat. #WTCFinal https://t.co/hNZvtp0oNd
— Saeed Anwar (@ImSaeedAnwar) May 27, 2023
If Kohli achieves consecutive centuries in the match, his tally of Test centuries will rise to 30, matching the record held by Steve Smith. Presently, Smith leads the list among active cricketers, with Joe Root following closely behind with 29 centuries. Kohli arrived in London one day after Royal Challengers Bangalore’s exit from the IPL 2023 playoffs.
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Joining Kohli in the initial batch of players departing for the UK are teammate Mohammed Siraj, as well as Axar Patel, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur, and R Ashwin. Cheteshwar Pujara is already in London as he is participating in the County Championship for Sussex and has been in outstanding form. The remaining players will join the Indian squad after completing their IPL commitments, which will conclude with the final in Ahmedabad on Sunday.