Former England captain Michael Vaughan has asked out-of-form Virat Kohli to show some youthfulness and play with the freedom the way he used to do 10 years ago. According to Vaughan, if Kohli can get through the tricky initial period, he can score big runs too as well. Notably, Kohli has been going through a rough patch for RCB in IPL 2022. He was dismissed for a golden duck for the third time in the ongoing season during the franchise’s last match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
Vaughan said on Cricbuzz: “I hope Faf du Plessis has spoken to him and told him – ‘Go back 10 years, when you didn’t have this profile. You’re not married and don’t have a kid. You’re going out there to whack the ball and have some fun. Forget your age, forget what you have done’. If he gets to 35, I reckon he can go big. It’s just those initial 0-10 that he’s been struggling with. If he can get away and show a little bit of that youthfulness, he’s going to be dangerous.”
Virat Kohli has scored 216 runs from 12 IPL matches which came at an average of 19.64 and a strike rate of 111.34 as well. Meanwhile, former South African captain Shaun Pollock has added that RCB should not expect a huge contribution from him as well. Kohli has registered only one fifty in IPL 2022 so far. He scored 58 off 53 against the Gujarat Titans (GT) on April 30 as well.
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Pollock commented: “From the Virat perspective, you’ve almost got to say to him – ‘you don’t have to go and win the game for us’. Just a certain contribution. It’s quite difficult to talk about. If he gets you 35 off 20 balls, in many ways that’s done the job because of the way they have played this season. They have become reliant on the other guys. He doesn’t have to get a 100. Just take a bit of pressure off him.”
Meanwhile, Michael Vaughan has also opened up on Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) performance in IPL 2022. He also added that they could become a dangerous side if Kohli can rediscover his form in the next two matches as well. RCB are currently fourth in the IPL points table 2022 with 14 points from 12 matches so far. They will play against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Friday before facing the Gujarat Titans (GT) on May 19 in their last league game as well.
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“They have played well at times. They have had a few games where it has obviously not gone as well as they would like. They have got to this position without Virat contributing. He averages under 20 and is striking at not much, around 115-120. He’s not had a great time. If he can find form, with the likes of Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell and co., this is such a dangerous team. The bowling line-up is fantastic. It is a quality bowling line-up. Particularly now that the wickets are getting worn, they have a lot of spin options. They have got some good combinations but they have got two big games and tough games. If they continue playing like they did in the last game, they have a sniff of getting through,” Michael Vaughan concluded.
