1983 World Cup winner and former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar has urged Virat Kohli to emulate the legendary Sachin Tendulkar to come out of his nightmarish phase. During the 2004 tour to Australia, Sachin Tendulkar stopped playing deliveries bowled outside the off-stump because he was dismissed on numerous occasions edging the ball in the slips or to the wicketkeeper. In the Sydney Test, Sachin Tendulkar decided to not touch balls there and went on to score a marvelous 241 not out.
Much like Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli has been falling for the off-side trap far too often. He's gotten into this habit of nicking the balls that are bowled just a shade outside off-stump and that's what is causing huge problems for him.
More and more bowlers, especially pacers are employing this strategy to get the better of him in recent times. During the just concluded tour of England, the Three Lions speedsters Reece Topley and David Willey used this ploy to perfection against him.
“If you take the example of Sachin Tendulkar in 2004, he was getting out in the same way in Australia. So, he cut off that scoring area completely and scored 241 in the last Test match of that series, without playing the cover drive. Similarly, Virat also has the ability to do the same, he needs to work hard in that area and play effectively,” Dilip Vengsarkar told Khaleej Times.
“Look, he is a great player and he has scored all his runs all these years with the same technique. So I don't think there is anything wrong technically. But yes, he is getting out in the same fashion, so he should stay more alert and work hard on that area because the bowlers are now going to bowl that off-stump line to him all the time. They are not going to bowl on his pads, they are not going to bowl the half volleys to him,” Dilip Vengsarkar.
As per Dilip Vengsarkar to get back in form, Virat Kohli needs to play more and more matches. That's why resting him from the series against the West Indies wasn't a good idea. The Indian selectors should have picked him in the squad for the Caribbean.
“I don't understand why the Indian selectors have rested him for the West Indies series. If he is in their scheme of things for the T20 World Cup in Australia, he should play as many games as possible to get his form and confidence back,” the ex-India captain said.
“That would help him. Resting him sends a wrong signal because if he is going to Australia, then he will go without really big scores behind him. That would worry him as well,” Dilip Vengsarkar noted.
“I always feel that when you are not scoring runs, it’s important to play as many matches as possible and spend time in the middle, and get back among the runs. This game is all about confidence,” Dilip Vengsarkar concluded.
Before Dilip Vengsarkar, former India pacer Karsan Ghavri had echoed similar sentiments about Virat Kohli's absence from India's trip to the West Indies.
Ghavri even suggested that Kohli probably has taken the break to fulfill his commercial commitments and may shoot a few advertisements during his time away from cricket.
“How much rest do Virat and Rohit need? How long did Virat bat in the Test match? Playing for India should be their number one priority. You should shoot for advertisements during the IPL, not while playing for India. You cannot ask for frequent breaks in the name of workload management,” Karsan Ghavri said in an interview with Sportskeeda.
“Players should be selected on merit. Virat has made India proud on many occasions, but drop him if he's not in form. It's as simple as that,” Karsan Gavri added.
“Bring in the guys who are in form. Virat Kohli is a big name, but where are the runs? How long can you play based on your past reputation? He's still stuck on 27 Test centuries. Meanwhile, Joe Root has now surpassed him despite lagging behind until recently,” Karsan Ghavri pointed out.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest all-format players of all time, Virat Kohli has been going through an extended dry spell with the bat. During the recent tour of England, the former India captain managed to score just 76 runs in his six outings in a Test match, and two ODIs and T20Is each.
While he perished at scores of 11 and 20 in the rescheduled fifth and final Test against the Three Lions in Edgbaston, Virat Kohli was dismissed for 1 and 11 in the T20I games in Birmingham and Trent Bridge.
Though he missed the first clash of the ODI series because of a groin injury, he didn't succeed in changing his fortunes in the remaining two 50-over matches as he registered a total of 33 runs, making 16 and 17 at the Lord's and Old Trafford respectively.
Virat Kohli is currently holidaying in Paris with his actress wife Anushka Sharma.
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