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'First Have To Score Runs': Ishant Sharma Emphasizes Virat Kohli's Crucial Role in India's New WTC Cycle

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Ishant Sharma emphasized that for India to make an impact in the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, Virat Kohli needs to score runs himself. Kohli has struggled to perform consistently in the last few years, with only one Test century since 2019. Currently, he was unbeaten on 36 at the end of Day 2 of the first Test against the West Indies. 

Ishant acknowledged that Kohli's role extends beyond his individual performance, as he also needs to mentor and develop young players. In an interview with Jio Cinema he said:

"The most important thing is that if you are a senior player, you will first have to score your own runs or else the juniors will also ask what is the point of you being a senior."

Ishant Sharma anticipates Virat Kohli, the contemporary batting maestro, to excel in scoring runs and expresses confidence in his mentoring capabilities.

"However, I know that Virat Kohli will definitely score runs because of the mental frame he is in currently and the way he is batting. He knows how to groom youngsters because he has captained the Indian team for so many runs."

Ishant Sharma provided an example of Rishabh Pant to showcase how Virat Kohli has nurtured young players in the past and further said:

"When young boys came into our team, like Rishabh Pant or someone else, he never told them how to play in a particular situation. He always said that they should stick to their technique and should play the way they feel. If your captain backs you, it becomes a very important thing as a player."