Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has spoken controversially about Virat Kohli’s recent woes as preparations for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 ramp up. Kohli, as expected, has retained his place in the Indian team for the sporting event.

However, the big question is whether the former captain of the Indian cricket team will leave behind his poor performance and lead the batting line-up in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which is scheduled to be held on February 19 in Karachi, Pakistan. .

Basit Ali says Virat Kohli’s decision to miss the England Test was a turning point for him

A cause for concern is the right-handed batsman’s recent form with the bat, as he managed 190 runs in nine innings at an average of 23.75 in the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against Australia. Before the Australia tour, Kohli scored 192 runs at an average of 19.2 in five home Tests against Bangladesh and New Zealand.

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Now, Virat Kohli’s place in the Indian cricket team is under intense scrutiny, and his performance in the upcoming three ODIs against England at home will be under the radar, as the national selectors are expected to call the 36-year-old squad. – Batter’s future after Champions Trophy 2025.

Amidst a huge debate over the Indian batsman’s struggles and his place in the team, Basit Ali surprisingly criticized Virat Kohli’s second son Akaay for struggling with batting. Actually, Kohli missed the five-match Test series against England last year at home because of Akaay’s birth.

Virat Kohli would have been another player to have played for England: Basit Ali

And the former Pakistan cricketer believes that if Virat Kohli had played in the Test series, things would have been different, as the pitches were good to bat on for the first two days, and he could have easily found his mojo at home. things would not be difficult for him.

Basit Ali said in a video posted on his YouTube channel: “If Virat Kohli had played the Test match against England and had not missed it due to the birth of his son, he would have been a different player. The match was good for the first two days before he broke down.”

Meanwhile, the former Pakistan selector also took issue with the exclusion of Sanju Samson and Karun Nair from India’s squad for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025. He criticized India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, and the selectors for not listening to their voices in domestic cricket. .

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Basit Ali criticizes India’s decision to drop Sanju Samson and Karun Nair from the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 squad

Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul were chosen ahead of Sanju Samson as wicketkeepers in the eight-nation tournament despite the Kerala batsman hitting three T20I centuries last year. On the other hand, Karun Nair’s 779 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 was not enough to make it to the Indian team.

Basit Ali confirmed that Sanju Samson and Karun Nair should be included in the 2025 Champions Trophy squad while citing the heroics of the Vidarbha captain of VHT. He spoke and said, “Nair and Samson deserved a place.” Rohit (actually it was Gautam Gambhir) had spoken about the importance of domestic cricket. Nair is involved in household chores.