Former India skipper Virat Kohli has already answered critics, casting doubts over his inclusion in India’s T20 World Cup squad by leading the run-charts in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), and added an extra layer of topping by scoring a century for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their last IPL outing against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur.

A couple of weeks before the BCCI selectors pick the T20 World Cup squad (expected between the last week of April and first week of May), a statement from chief selector Ajit Agarkar seemed reassuring for Kohli’s aspirations to play the World Cup, starting June 1 in the US and the West Indies.

Praising Kohli’s fitness and the role it has played in shaping the future of Indian cricket, Agarkar said the 35-year-old has set a benchmark and the impact of it is being felt across the whole Indian cricket ecosystem.

“Look at Virat. He is one of those guys who has set a benchmark. 10-15 years into his career, he has only gotten fitter. And you can see the results. If someone like him sets an example, puts forward certain things than you need, certain fitness levels you need, gradually it has progressed. BCCI has been instrumental as well with all the academies that have happened. You learn a lot quicker. Boys today at 15-16 are a lot fitter than what they were and they should be now with the amount of knowledge, awareness and facilities available,” Agarkar, who played 26 Tests and 191 ODIs for India, said on the SportifywithPRG podcast.

Kohli is currently the Orange Cap holder having scored 316 runs from five matches at an average of 105 and strike-rate of 146. However, his latest century in the IPL, came off 67 balls – making it the slowest in the history of IPL – and once again fuelling the debate over his strike-rate.

The doubts around Kohli’s participation at the T20 World Cup gained momentum in the first week of the IPL when former India coach Ravi Shastri and ex-England batter Kevin Pietersen questioned his place in the squad.

Two days later, as Kohli registered his first half-century of IPL 2024, he cheekily gave it back to the two former cricketers by saying, “I know my name is now attached to just promoting the game in different parts of the world when it comes to T20 cricket. I’ve still got it I guess.”

Meanwhile, Agarkar also highlighted IPL’s role in the identification and promotion of talented players from the country at a big level.

“You can see every year, the IPL just keeps throwing up fresh talent. As a selector there are certain players, we are watching out for but there are certain players who suddenly come and show up even on a big stage,” he said.

“It is a big stage because of the pressure involved and the big crowds. You might be bowling to the top batters in the world or facing one of the top bowlers, this is where you can judge the temperament of the player and how consistently he can do it,” he added.