The Indian skipper, Virat Kohli had a forgettable outing during the two-match Test series loss in New Zealand. In four innings, he only managed to score 38 runs as his team suffered their first Test series after the World Cup. Reacting to Kohli’s dismal performance, legendary Indian cricketer, Kapil Dev said that Kohli had to witness a slow down in his “eyesight and reflexes,” which might also be affecting his hand-eye coordination.
During a chat with ABP News, Kapil said, “When you reach a certain age and when you cross 30 then it affects your eyesight. Virat Kohli used to hit in-swing deliveries for four, it used to be his strength but now he is struggling against the same.”
Out of the four innings, Kohli got out leg before twice on the in-swinging deliveries, and the legendary all-rounders feel that incoming deliveries might-over become a weakness for Kohli. He advised the Indian skipper to “adjust his eyesight” and spend more time in the nets.
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The former Indian skipper said, “So I think he needs to adjust his eyesight a bit. When big players start getting bowled or LBW to incoming deliveries then you have to tell them to practice more. It shows that your eyes and your reflexes have slowed down a bit and in no time your strengths turn into your weakness.”
Citing the examples of the greats like Viv Richards, Rahul Dravid, and Virender Sehwag Kapil said they faced similar difficulty towards the latter half of their illustrious careers.
Former Indian all-rounder said, “From 18-24, your eyesight is at the optimum level but after that, it depends on how you work on it. Players like Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, and Viv Richards have also faced similar difficulties in their career. So Kohli needs to practice more. He is striking late on the balls that he used to time well earlier. It will take at least three months for him to recover and IPL will help.”
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The Indian Premier League (IPL) is scheduled to commence on March 29. Still, before that, India will play a three-match ODI series against South Africa at home starting from March 12 in Dharamsala.
