Virat Kohli's rough patch with the bat has ignited a massive debate in the cricketing world. While many former India cricketers are against giving Virat Kohli more chances, Australia legend Ricky Ponting differed with them. The former Australia captain went on to say that bowlers from opposition teams still fear Virat Kohli and that's why he wants the Indian team management to persist with the Delhi-born talismanic batter. West Indies coach Phil Simmons was asked to share his thoughts on Ricky Ponting's comments on Virat Kohli and his unique take on the matter is now going viral on the internet. Phil Simmons said he wasn't Rahul Dravid. That's why he was not the right man to say anything about what India should do about Virat Kohli.
“Well, I ain't the coach of the Indian team. Rahul Dravid will have to make that decision. He's there. If I was there I would think about it and how I would go about that job,” Phil Simmons told senior journalist Vimal Kumar on the eve of India's first ODI against the West Indies at the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad. Notably, Virat Kohli has the backing of head coach Rahul Dravid.
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.
His last ton in any format of international cricket came in November 2019 in the historic Pink-ball Test against Bangladesh in Kolkata.
Ricky Ponting, however, is confident that Virat Kohli will return to form with a bang.
“I think if I was an opposition captain or an opposition player, I will be fearing playing an Indian team that has Virat Kohli in it, more than I would be one that doesn’t have him in it,” the 47-year-old Australia great told Sanjana Ganeshan on the ICC Review.
“I know there have been some challenges for him, it’s been a difficult time. But every great player that I have seen in this game has been through it at some stage, whether that’s a batsman or a bowler, they have all been through it,” Ricky Ponting noted.
“And somehow, the best (players) find a way to rebound and respond, and it’s only a matter of time before Virat does that,” Ricky Ponting insisted.
“If you leave Virat out of the eve of the World Cup, and someone comes in and has a reasonable tournament, it will be hard for Virat to get back in it,” Ricky Ponting said.
“If I was India, I will keep pushing with him, because I know the upside. If they actually get him back confident and playing as well as he can, that upside is better than most. So I think if I was a captain or a coach around the Indian set up, I will be making life as easy as possible for him to feel as comfortable as possible, and just wait for him to flick the switch and start scoring runs again,” the three-time ODI World Cup winner for Australia explained.
According to the Tasmanian, Virat Kohli’s finest performances have always come when his focus has been laser sharp and he has not been distracted by outside noises and wants captain Rohit Sharma, and head coach Rahul Dravid to make him believe that he was still among the best.
“Early in the tournament, for a first-round game, (it’s important to) get him in nice and early, among the runs, and then hopefully by the end of the tournament you’ll have Virat Kohli back at his best,” The most successful Australia skipper argued.
“That’s the way I would look at it. I wouldn’t think about holding him back at the start of the tournament, with the thought that you might be able to bring him back towards the back end and have him peak. Tournament play isn’t like that.”
“You need to work your way into the tournament, get some runs under your belt, and get some confidence and then be playing your best cricket at the back end,” Ricky Ponting stated.
Alongside, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, and Virat Kohli, have been rested by the BCCI for the three ODI encounters against the West Indies.
While Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, and Hardik Pandya will make a return during the T20I leg of the tour, Virat Kohli has been given a break from them as well.
“I am not happy that people are not there because you want to play against the best players and we all know that Virat's record is says that he is one of the best of all-time. So yes I am disappointed and it would have nice had he been here. I'm sure all the guys would have loved the competition,” Phil Simmons said about Virat Kohli's absence.
“Criticisms are everywhere. I'm sure people want him to do well all the time and nobody can do things well all the time,” The West Indies coach added.
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