Indian players need to win it for Kohli: Raina

Former India batsman Suresh Raina said that the Indian players need to win the ongoing T20 World Cup in UAE and Oman for skipper Virat Kohli, who will step down as captain after the tournament.

Kohli said in September that he would not be continuing as the T20I skipper of India after the World Cup as he needed the space to lead India in Tests and ODIs.

Raina, in his column for International Cricket Council regarding the T20 World Cup, wrote that everybody in the India team must get behind the India skipper.

“For India, the message at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is simple - do it for Virat Kohli. It will probably be his last time at this tournament as captain, so it’s very important for

him to make everyone believe we can do it and for us to get behind him,”

Raina wrote.

He also added that India will have an edge over the other teams in the World Cup as they played the Indian Premier League in UAE before the tournament.

“All of our players have just played the Indian Premier League in the UAE and they have played themselves into top form with eight or nine games in this environment. This gives India an edge on all other teams and

makes them one of the big favourites to win the T20 World Cup in my opinion,” the former left-handed batsman added.

India will start their World Cup journey against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 24. –TBP