T20 World Cup 2021: “Team India should perform for Virat Kohli, as it will be his last T20 series as a captain” – Former Pakistan skipper Younis Khan 

Former Pakistan 2009 T20 World Cup-winning skipper Younis Khan has opined that Indian players should perform for their captain Virat Kohli in the T20 World Cup 2021. He said this as this will be Kohli’s last project as a T20 captain with India.

On September 16, before the resumption of the IPL 2021, Virat Kohi announced that he would step down as skipper of the Indian team. This was in the shortest format of the game. A week later, the 32-year-old declared that the IPL 2021 season would be his last tenure as RCB skipper as well.

The right-hander will commence his first and last T20 World Cup as captain on Sunday (October 24). India will clash against their old nemesis Pakistan in Dubai.

While speaking with Uncut, Younis Khan lauded the Delhi-born batter and said that Kohli is a role model who has changed the game for his country. The 43-year-old also opined that the whole country of India is proud of him.

Here’s what the former Pakistani batter had to say about Virat Kohli:

“He has been amazing. As a player or as a role model, he has been terrific. He is one of them who has changed the game for his country. His whole nation is proud of him. It’s good luck for him for this upcoming T20 World Cup. And I hope that he play really well. And team India should perform for him because as a captain this will be his last series in T20s.”

Younis Khan also hopes that Kohli should finish his captaincy on a high note.

“I hope him and his nation perform well. And he should also leave his captaincy on a high note, just as I left it in 2009 with a World Cup victory,” said Younis Khan.

“Although it feels good, but we should not compare Virat Kohli and Babar Azam” – Younis Khan

Younis Khan was also asked about comparisons between the two sides’ skippers Virat Kohli and Babar Azam. He suggested that the two modern-day batting greats should not be compared as their is a huge gap between their experience on the international stage.

Virat Kohli was first seen in Indian colors in 2008 against Sri Lanka. Meanwhile Pakistan sensation Babar Azam debuted for his nation in 2015 against Zimbabwe in Lahore. The latter displaced the Indian skipper’s reign as the No.1-ranked One-Day International (ODI) batter in April this year.

While mentioning that the comparison between the two players does feel good, Khan opined that it is not pertinent to compare the two. He said:

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“Look, both are top players, legendary players. If we talk about Babar Azam, he is still quite young. And yes, he has performed so many times but his career is still in the making. And on the other hand, Virat Kohli debuted in year 2008. So he has been playing since 13 whereas Babar’s debut was in 2015, so we should ponder on that before comparison. But these types of comparisons do feel good as well.”

It remains to be seen which captain will outshine the other when India and Pakistan lock horns against each other. This high-octane clash will take place at the Dubai International Stadium on October 24.