What’s wrong with Virat Kohli, the batsman? While the Indian captain has spearheaded the conversion of the current Indian team into world champions, his stroke form has waned in the recent past. Kohli sped towards the iconic landmark of the 100 hundreds after raising 70 international hundreds in the first 11 years of his career.
But the wait for the 71st hundred dragged on for over a year and a half. The last time India exceeded the three-digit figure in an international match was against Bangladesh in India’s first Pink Ball test in Kolkata in November 2019.
Kohli has set a high standard for himself. Every time he goes to the bat, fans expect special things. At various stages over the past 18 months, Kohli has shown signs of returning to his climax, but the big results have escaped him. In fact, since the beginning of 2020, Kohli has only scored 407 runs with just 3 over 50 points, an average of less than 24 in 10 test matches.
As Kohli prepares for the Headingley Test after a remarkable win at Lord’s over England, former Indian women’s team captain Anjum Chopra decodes what may go wrong with the skipper’s game.
Speak with indiatoday.inThe former captain said Kohli is probably trying too hard to be flawless in England knowing he is up against some of the best in the business. Anjum Chopra emphasized that Kohli himself knows what to do to get great runs again, and that every batsman goes through a phase in which too much concentration works against them.
He tries too hard to be flawless: Chopra
“I think he’s trying too hard. I feel like he is trying very, very hard to be flawless. He knows he has the game and the temperament, but if you focus too much you tend to stall sometimes. I feel like he’s making a small mistake in judgment, “Chopra said on Tuesday.
“But I don’t blame him. When the competition is this big, when you’re trying to be flawless in a competition between two nations of cricket, India and England.
“And then there’s a James Andeson who’s going up against the Indian captain. And there is a lot of talk. Even if you don’t read the news, you know which bowler has sacked you many times and he knows he is ready for a competition.
“On the other hand, it’s pretty natural. It didn’t happen because it’s Virat Kohli, it happens to everyone. It happened with Cheteshwar Pujara, it happened with Ajinkya Rahane too – carefully and very carefully.
Kohli knows the remedies: Chopra
Anjum Chopra pointed out that Kohli looked classy during his valiant strike of 42 in the Lord’s Test 2nd inning against England, which India won by 151 runs.
“I am sure that he also knows the remedy. He has to play the ball and not the bowler. Just play the one ball game making sure you focus on the split second that the bowler delivers the ball.
“It’s all about being in the present. So the point is to keep it simple and follow the basics.
“That 42 (at Lord’s) was good. Those cover drives, those pushes, those were perfect shots,” she added.
As the captain of the Tour of England, Kohli has not done a wrong step so far. After taking India 1-0 up in the 5-game series, Kohli was in his element, sending warnings to opponents as he interacted with the press on the eve of the 3rd Test at Headingley.
However, Kohli acknowledged that England is one of the toughest places to hit and it’s important that a batsman swallow his ego when he hits at the Old Blighty. It seemed like Kohli remembered what it would take to repeat his 2018 exploits, in which he was flawless against an English attack more menacing than the current, injury-riddled arsenal.
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