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India's high profile batter and former skipper Virat Kohli's patchy form with the willow has hit the rock bottom and the debate to drop him out of the team doesn't seem to end.
Kohli has so far managed to register scores of 11, 20, 1, 11 and 16 on the tour of England, however, India's current skipper has thrown his weight behind Virat and isn't ready to throw in the towel now, considering the batting juggernaut's contribution in the past and un-debatable faculty with the bat.
In the second ODI against England, Kohli got off to a decent start as he belted left-arm pacer Reece Topley for three fours and looked good to get a big score. But David Willey found his outside edge to cut short his stay in the middle.
Meanwhile, former England star spinner Monty Panesar feels that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) might be under pressure regarding Kohli’s future in the national team.
Panesar compared Kohli with global football star Cristiano Ronaldo and underlined their huge fan following. Panesar felt that India are persisting with Kohli as leaving the right-hander out may hamper their sponsorship deals.
"It's like Cristiano Ronaldo. Whenever Ronaldo plays for Manchester United, everyone's watching football. Virat Kohli is the same. He has got a huge following and attraction," Panesar was quoted as saying in an interview with the Times of India.
“Is BCCI under pressure too, regardless of whatever the result and role Virat Kohli has to play, to keep the sponsors happy? That's probably the biggest question. They can't drop him or afford to drop him because they'll probably lose huge financial sponsorship," he stated.
Virat remains the most marketable cricketer in the world and continues to draw fans and sponsors towards him. The decision to remove him from the team, as per Panesar is a difficult one for the BCCI because of the possible financial impact it can have.
"The difficulty here is that he is the most marketable cricketer in the world. Fans love him a lot. We all just love Virat and his intensity. Sometimes, it's borderline, but he's very much admired in England. So, from the BCCI's perspective, they've got to sit down and decide,” Panesar said.
"From a financial perspective, other boards gained so much from Virat Kohli. But is Virat really good for the India side right now? But then would it mean at the expense of them not winning a T20 World Cup or a 50-over World Cup? That's the biggest question at the moment," the spinner further asserted.
