Team India’s veteran batter Virat Kohli suffered back-to-back failures in the Indian Team’s recently concluded Test series opener against Bangladesh in Chennai. He also registered scores of 6 and 17 in the game as well. Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg also suggested that Kohli should continue playing red-ball cricket till the culmination of the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle as well. However, Hogg also added that Kohli needed to bring back his A game.
Speaking on his official YouTube channel, Hogg said: “No, I think Virat Kohli should play out these next 10 Test matches over the next 15 weeks. See how he goes there. But he does have to improve. He has to lift his game. He’s got to get that consistency again. If India are going to have a chance at winning the World Test Championship, here at number four is crucial. Number four is a vital position. It’s a position where you can control the game, you can bat through the latter part of the innings, and with the explosive batting that they’ve got in that middle order, they definitely need Virat Kohli to really step up and play his role with the bat, batting through the innings right to the end.”
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However, Brad Hogg also opined that India would emerge as the team to beat in this WTC cycle if Virat Kohli was at his vintage best in the remaining matches as well. He also added that if he continued to underperform, the selectors could look to replace him with a young player as well.
“If he can do that, then India will be very hard to beat in this World Test Championship. But he’s got to start performing, otherwise, selectors are going to have to start thinking about whether they go for youth moving forward or they give you more opportunities. I don’t think Virat is going to get there now. I just don’t think Virat is going to get there. I think he’s lost his momentum and the momentum that he’s lost has been for a number of years now. He’s got to turn around in the next 10 Test matches, or he’s going to drop off,” Brad Hogg concluded.
