Team India head coach Rahul Dravid has backed Virat Kohli to bounce back despite the latter’s poor run across formats over the last couple of seasons. According to Dravid, the key to Kohli’s situation is not about whether he can score a century but about how significant his contribution is. Notably, he hasn’t scored an international hundred for the last three years. His last ton came during the day-night Test against Bangladesh back in November of 2019. And, Virat Kohli had a poor IPL 2022 season as well.
Backing him, coach Rahul Dravid said at a pre-match press conference: “As a player, you go through these kinds of phases. I don’t think in Virat’s case, it is a lack of motivation or desire. It’s not about scoring three figures, even a 70 on a difficult pitch is worth appreciation. In Cape Town, he didn’t convert it into a century, but it was a good score. Going by the standards he has set for himself, people only see hundreds as a success. But from a coach’s perspective, we want contributions from him, whether it’s a 50 or a 60.”
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However, Virat Kohli led India during the Test series in South Africa earlier this year. He played in two of the three Tests, amassing 161 runs at an average of 40.25. Later, during the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka at home, he scored 81 runs at an average of 27. Kohli scored 33 and 67 in the four-day warm-up match against Leicestershire recently. Meanwhile, the rescheduled Test between India and England will take place at Edgbaston in Birmingham on July 1.
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“He’s not on the wrong side of his 30s. He’s an incredibly fit guy, and one of the most hard-working guys I’ve come across. His desire, his hunger and his whole attitude, looking after himself and his preparations, even the way he batted in Leicester in those conditions, scoring the kind of 50s and 60s. He is ticking all the right boxes, he is doing what he needs to do,” Rahul Dravid concluded.
