T20 World Cup 2024 Final: 'Can't Write Off Player Like Him' - Gayle Backs Kohli in Lean Patch

Former West Indies opener Chris Gayle has said one "cannot write off" a "special" player like Virat Kohli despite his struggle for form in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.

Kohli, who came into the show-piece tournament on the back of a good IPL season with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, has struggled to get among the runs so far, scoring a total of 75 runs in 7 innings, including two ducks.

Despite his poor run in the T20 World Cup, Indian captain Rohit Sharma, along with former players as well as head coach Rahul Dravid, have backed Kohli to come good in the final against South Africa.

Gayle, who played alongside Kohli for RCB, also backed the star batter to bounce back and create a spectacle in the game that matters most, the T20 World Cup final against South Africa.

"These things happen to superstars or world-class players such as Virat. We know how dominant he has been in previous World Cups," Gayle said during a media conference.

"A bad patch, it can happen to anybody. But the good thing about it. He is in the final, and sometimes big players can be called upon and step up and win the actual game for the team as well.

"So you cannot write off a player like Virat Kohli without a doubt. We know how special he is, so we just have to wait and see what he delivers tomorrow."

Kohli ended IPL 2024 with the Orange Cap by racking a whopping 741 runs at an average of 61.75 and a strike rate of 154.69, with a century and five half-centuries. But in the ongoing T20 World Cup, he has a best score of 37 and has been striking at 100.

In seven matches, Kohli, with all his experience, has struggled to put together a string of performances while opening alongside Rohit, he has scored at an average of 10.71 throughout the tournament.

Kohli will hope to correct form and deliver on the big stage when India face South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2024 Final on Saturday (June 29) at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.