'They'll probably lose huge financial sponsorship': Monty Panesar on why BCCI can't afford to 'drop' Virat Kohli

Former India skipper Virat Kohli is currently enduring an inconsistent run of form across formats in international cricket, with some event criticising the team management for retaining him in the Team India squad despite repeated failures. Kohli’s last international century came in November 2019, which would seem a long time ago for the 33-year-old amidst his low scores with the bat, but he has notched up half-centuries on a few occasions. Kohli’s last international fifty in any format came against West Indies in a home T20I in February this year, and he even had a below-par IPL with the bat, scoring just 341 runs from 16 matches. Despite his form, the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma have come in support of the Delhi cricketer. Former England cricketer Monty Panesar, meanwhile, brought up a different angle to the development. He insisted that the BCCI would not be able to drop a player like Kohli since the board would lose ‘huge financial sponsorship’. “It’s like Cristiano Ronaldo. Whenever Ronaldo plays for Manchester United, everyone’s watching the football. Virat Kohli is the same. He has got a huge following and attraction,” Panesar was quoted as saying by the Times of India. “Are 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,” the 40-year-old stated. “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,” continued Panesar. Panesar, however, questioned if the same strategy would work on occasions when India take part in major ICC tournaments, like the World Cup. “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,” added Panesar. Kohli, who is not part of the T20I side to face West Indies in the Caribbean later this month, would look to end his forgettable scoring run when India take on England in the third and final ODI on Sunday. The series is currently level at 1-1.