Virat Kohli’s woes extended to another chapter of disarray as the Challengers stuttered to the might of the Rajasthan Royals who put up a phenomenal bowling display to defend a modest 144. A major cause of RCB’s downfall has been the incessant misfiring of their bloated top-order and with Virat Kohli still to get a decent outing that would create a significant impact, somehow the nation has started in believing that the beginning of the end has appeared.
Kohli’s exploits in the ongoing edition of the IPL have seen him stitching scores of 41*, 12, 5, 48, 1, 12, 0, 0 and 9. Believe it or not, if there isn’t a miraculous turnaround of affairs, this is going to be Kohli’s worst IPL ever wherein at the start of the tournament experts were of the same opinion that with the burden of captaincy taken off, Kohli was going to have a much better outing.
Here is what Ravi Shastri said about Virat Kohli
Former Indian coach, Ravi Shastri is of the opinion that Virat is trying too hard to perform and that can be a major reason for his questionable form. He believes that Kohli needs to take a breather to get back to his former intimidating self.
Talking on Jatin Sapru’s YouTube channel, he was heard quoting, “I think a break is ideal for him because he has played non-stop cricket and he has captained the side across all formats. It will be wise of him to take a break. You know, sometimes you have to draw the balance. This year he is already into the tournament (IPL 2022), tomorrow if push comes to shove and you want to prolong your international career and make a mark there for 6-7 years, pull out of the IPL, for all you care.”
He would further add, “If that is the case, you have played for 14-15 years. Not only Virat, I’ll tell that to any other player. If you want to play and do well for India, you have to draw the line where you want to take that break and the ideal break would be off-season where India is not playing and the only time India does not play is the IPL. Sometimes, you need to do that or tell the franchise I’ll only play the half. Pay me half, as simple as that. Those tough calls need to come if you want to reach the zenith of your profession as an international player.”
The former Indian cricket team preceptor is of the opinion that Virat’s best cricket still lies ahead of him. However, for every athlete it is important to get back to one’s roots when the times are dark. Shastri said, “Virat is still young and he has best 5-6 years ahead of him. He would have realised what he has gone through in these last few months. He knows he has to go back to the drawing board, how he thinks, how he approaches and he has to literally start from scratch. There have been many players in the past who have gone through this. You mentioned first ball out, to be honest, from the outside I would not be worried. As a player if I have gotten out first ball, I have hardly been in. It is when you get in and throw it away, that is more disappointing. When he gets in, it is up to him to make it count.”
The crowd pressure somehow has piled up on Virat and he is barely able to draw a line between the finesse that he would need to produce his best and the aggression that needs to come along with it. He is somehow ending up in the limbo that is downright detrimental to a batter of his stature.
