• Home
  • Who Said What
  • Prepared Well For Virat Kohli Eng Coach Vigilant On Biggest Threat For T20 Wc Semis

'Prepared Well For Virat Kohli': ENG Coach Vigilant On Biggest Threat For T20 WC Semis

Matthew Mott believes ENG well prepared for Virat Kohli (X.com)Matthew Mott believes ENG well prepared for Virat Kohli (X.com)

Ahead of the highly anticipated 2024 T20 World Cup semi-final between India and England, English head coach Matthew Mott revealed that his team sees Virat Kohli as a big threat and will aim to neutralise it as early as possible.

With South Africa crushing Afghanistan to make it to the T20 World Cup finals after a wait of three decades, it's time for India and England to fight it out to claim the second final spot.

The highly anticipated semi-final contest will take place in Guyana later today. However, the rain gods will have to show mercy as the stadium has been drenched in the past week due to incessant pouring. 

That being said, both teams have left no stone unturned in their preparations for the big clash. England, especially, are eyeing to edge past the biggest threat i.e Virat Kohli.

Matthew Mott vary of Virat Kohli threat

In a pre-game press conference, England head coach Matthew Mott revealed that Virat Kohli is a big game player, and hence, he is one of the few Indian players that will be on England's hit list for the semis.

"Virat has proven his class over a very long period of time. He's one of the players we've prepared well for. We know how he can play; we know how destructive he can be and we also know his game smarts. If the game demands an innings of a different nature, he's got that skill," Mott said.

Despite Kohli's lean form in this tournament, Mott believes players like Kohli have a tendency to step up when it matters the most. And the semi-final is the biggest stage and challenge for Kohli. Hence, he is likely to show his class and help his team advance to the finals.

"So, he's definitely a key player for them and like we've said throughout this tournament what's happened throughout this tournament means nothing tomorrow when we face off against each other - big players step up in the big moments We're hoping our players do that but you can expect him to do exactly the same," he added.

Notably, Virat Kohli has only managed to score 66 runs in six innings this T20 World Cup and registered single digit scores multiple times. His promotion to the opening slot hasn't worked as per expectations.