Australian cricket team talisman Steve Smith has tipped Virat Kohli to be the highest run-scorer in the ongoing 2024 ICC T20 World Cup. Kohli is in impeccable form, coming off the back of winning the Orange Cap in IPL 2024, and is one of the favourites to lead the run charts in the West Indies and the USA as well. Smith, who was not chosen in the Australia squad, picked another member of the famed "Fab 4" to score big in the Caribbean.
Speaking to ICC, Smith said, "My top run-scorer of the tournament will be Virat Kohli. He is coming off a terrific IPL and he is bringing in some great form and I think he will be the leading run-getter."
Virat Kohli is already the highest run-scorer in T20 World Cup history, and would end up extending his records even further should he perform as well as Smith has predicted. He is currently on 1141 runs in 25 innings in T20 World Cups.
Compatriot and captain Rohit Sharma is not far behind Kohli, ranking fourth in the all-time run-getters list. He could climb up to second as well this year. The duo are set to open the batting for India, as they get underway against Ireland in New York on June 5.
Given the opponents India have been placed with in Group A, Kohli would fancy his chances to score runs. Kohli boasts 308 T20 World Cup runs against Pakistan, and has only been dismissed once against the men in green in these matches. The arch-rivals face each other on Sunday, June 9.
The veteran pair opening the batting would see Yashasvi Jaiswal losing out on a spot. Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar, however, had a different idea, where he said that he would like to see Jaiswal bat at no. 3.