"He can easily play in 2026 with the fitness he has": Srikkanth backs Virat to play next T20 WC

Virat is playing his fifth T20 World Cup for India, having made his debut in the tournament back in 2012. He is the leading run-scorer in the tournament's history, with 1,141 runs in 25 innings at an average of 81.50 and a strike rate of 131.30, with 14 half-centuries and best score of 89*. He also won the 'Player of the Tournament' award in the 2014 and 2016 editions, but has never got to lay his hands on this trophy.

Former Indian cricketer Kris Srikkanth backed the star batter Virat Kohli to represent the tricolour in the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup which will be hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Virat is playing his fifth T20 World Cup for India, having made his debut in the tournament back in 2012. He is the leading run-scorer in the tournament's history, with 1,141 runs in 25 innings at an average of 81.50 and a strike rate of 131.30, with 14 half-centuries and best score of 89*. He also won the 'Player of the Tournament' award in the 2014 and 2016 editions but has never got to lay his hands on the trophy.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth said, "Is this a last chance for them to win together as a team (with Rohit and Kohli), probably yes. Keep in mind, the 2026 T20 World Cup is in India. So everybody would like to play in India. As far as I am concerned, the kind of fitness Virat Kohli has, he can easily play until 2026. So 2026 could be Virat's last. For Virat Kohli, this is not the last chance. But he will be very keen because he has not won a T20 World Cup yet." Adding on Rohit, Srikkanth said that he won this tournament back in 2007 and would be looking to win this trophy again as a captain after heartbreakingly missing out on the ODI World Cup last year, losing to Australia in the final at home.

"Whereas Rohit Sharma has won it in 2007. He wanted the ODI World Cup very badly, but he missed it. He will now be looking at the T20 World Cup, thinking he should win it for India as a captain. As a captain, winning the World Cup is a big thing. That's why MS Dhoni is being spoken about so much. He has won all the major trophies. Rohit Sharma will be keen on winning for the team and for the country more than himself, that's what I am trying to say," said Srikkanth. Currently, India is playing Ireland in their T20 WC campaign opener against Ireland.

India Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (C), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (WK), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj. Ireland Playing XI: Paul Stirling (C), Andrew Balbirnie, Lorcan Tucker (WK), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Joshua Little, Benjamin White. (ANI)

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