Pakistan's Ramiz Raja compares Virat Kohli's ICC title drought with Lionel Messi, read

Former Pakistan skipper Ramiz Raja has compared Indian captain Virat Kohli's ICC title drought with that of Argentine footballer Lionel Messi, underscoring how both of them have to win major world titles in their respective sports. Raja, while speaking to India News, said the consistency of players takes a back seat in big matches such as the World Test Championship (WTC) final and temperament takes the center stage. Raja said while there is no doubt regarding Kohli's consistency, he still needs to score a century to prove his mettle on the big stage. Raja said players like Sir Viv Richards always used to perform in important matches.

'Kohli must lead from the front in big matches'

Raja said Kohli is already amongst the legends of the game but leading India to victory in the WTC final will add another feather to his cap. Raja said the upcoming WTC final against New Zealand will be a great opportunity for Kohli to enter the club of "all-time greats" but for that, he will have to lead from the front by scoring a century. Raja said Lionel Messi is also very consistent but he is yet to win a major world title for his country. Although India has been a very consistent team under the leadership of Virat Kohli, the side has failed to win a single ICC title in the past 4-5 years. 

India lost to Pakistan in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy final in England under Virat Kohli's captaincy. India reached the semi-final of the 2019 ICC World Cup but lost to New Zealand in a nail-biting thriller. On both occasions, Kohli failed to put up a big score for India. However, India has maintained the No.1 position in Test cricket for the past four years and has won the Test mace consistently. India will look to win the first-ever Test championship and maintain its domination in the longest format of the game. 

The Kohli-led side arrived in the UK on June 3 and are currently undergoing their mandatory isolation period at an on-site hotel in Southampton, where the WTC final is slated to be played, starting June 18. The Indian team is currently practicing in batches and will only start training as a whole group after a couple of more COVID-19 tests. 

(Image Credit: RamizRaja/WeAreMessi/Twitter/PTI)