"Probably God has saved something special for him" - Sanjay Bangar on Virat Kohli failing to win the 2023 World Cup despite being top run-scorer

Sanjay Bangar reckons the Almighty has something special in store for Virat Kohli after India failed to win the 2023 World Cup despite the latter being the highest run-scorer in the tournament.

The Men in Blue registered 10 consecutive wins in the global event but lost to Australia by six wickets in the final in Ahmedabad on Sunday. Kohli, with 765 runs at an outstanding average of 95.62, topped the run-scoring charts, scoring three centuries and six half-centuries in his 11 innings.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Bangar was asked about Virat Kohli failing to win the title despite being the top run-getter, considering he has endured the same fate in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as well, to which he responded:

"Virat's desire to win the trophy, I feel he has God's blessings, and probably God has saved something special for him. He (Kohli) crossed Sachin Tendulkar's 49-century mark and Sachin also had to play his sixth World Cup for his first gold medal."

The former India batting coach and Royal Challengers Bangalore's ex-head coach feels the modern batting great might have glory written in his fate at the next World Cup. He said:

"Don't know why God takes such tough examinations of such big players. That's what I can understand - maybe destiny still wants him to play the next World Cup, and hope and pray that he gets that gold medal."

Kohli was part of India's 2011 World Cup-winning side. However, he hasn't been able to add a second title to that, with the Men in Blue losing in the semifinals in the 2015 and 2019 editions and the title decider this year.

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"He played according to the demands of the team's situation" - Irfan Pathan lauds Virat Kohli's performances in the 2023 World Cup

Virat Kohli was the epitome of consistency in the 2023 World Cup. [P/C: AP]

Irfan Pathan heaped praise on Virat Kohli for molding his game according to the situation throughout the tournament. He elaborated:

"It was an extremely memorable World Cup for him. It was very good for him personally. He played according to the demands of the team's situation. The best thing was that when he was heading towards the 50th century as well, he was looking towards the dressing room to check whether he was going alright."

The former India all-rounder doesn't see Kohli's aggregate runs record being broken easily. He stated:

"The communication was going on continuously, whether he needed to play faster, which meant his attention was on the team. It is different that he didn't get the result in the final but he has created such a run-scoring record in this World Cup, that it will take many years to break that, if it is broken"

Pathan concluded by picking Kohli's 85-run knock in India's tournament opener against Australia in Chennai and 95-run knock in the league game against New Zealand in Dharamsala as his two best innings in the tournament.