By Zainab Shafiq 
With anticipation building for the T20 World Cup 2024, cricketing legends have already started to put words on who would top the run-scoring charts.
Legendary Australian batter Steve Smith is among those who have put their money on Virat Kohli to shine brightest in the tournament. He also predicts this because of the knockout performance of Kohli at the IPL 2024 event, where he was the highest run-scorer of the entire tournament with 741 runs to his credit in just 15 matches.
Smith feels that the extraordinary form of Kohli and his momentum from the IPL will get him to the global stage and, therefore, be in with a real shot at the top scorer’s title.
However, the preparation leading up to the T20 World Cup hit a slight snag as Virat Kohli missed their warm-up game against Bangladesh following his late arrival in New York on the 31st of May. The wicket at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium has been a bit on the sluggish side, just as was seen during the fixture between Sri Lanka and South Africa, which perhaps is an indicator that batters will be tested more, which is all the more reason for India to bank on Kohli to be the steady anchor.
Even on the one leading run-scorer, former South Africa captain Graeme Smith said it could be either Kohli or England’s Jos Buttler. Buttler gained backers after he hit 84 in the second T20I and 39 in the fourth match of the series against Pakistan.
All eyes would be on Buttler as the English prepare to open their campaign against Scotland on June 4 in their first match. Against Ireland on June 5, in their first match, the experienced batter is expected to come at the top of the order with his regular partner, Rohit Sharma.