The lean patch of the former Indian skipper, Virat Kohli is continuing for far too long. His quest to get his run-scoring form back took another hit on Tuesday as he was dismissed for a golden duck in Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) match against Lucknow Super Giants. He resigned from RCB captaincy and doesn’t lead India in any format anymore and now he is missing his golden touch with the bat is missing.
Virat Kohli has nowadays often been criticized for his batting, and former India head coach Ravi Shastri feels the batter desperately needs a break to rejuvenate himself.
During a post-match show on Star Sports, Ravi Shastri said, “When I was coach at the time when this first started, the first thing I said is ‘you have to show empathy to the guys’. If you’re going to be forceful, there is a very thin line there, from a guy losing the plot as opposed to him hanging in there and giving his best. So you have to be extremely careful.”
ALSO READ: Ambati Rayudu To Make A Comeback In Domestic Cricket Next Season
He further added, “Virat Kohli is overcooked. If anyone needs a break, it’s him. Whether it’s 2 months or a month-and-a-half, whether it’s after England or before England. He needs a break because he has got 6-7 years of cricket left in him and you don’t want to lose that with a fried brain. He is not the only one. There might be 1 or 2 in world cricket going through the same. You need to address the problem upfront.”
Former England skipper, Kevin Pietersen agreed with Shastri and even suggested that Virat should cut himself off from social media to avoid any kind of scrutiny.
Kevin Pietersen elaborated, “100 percent correct, Ravi. The guy has had so much to deal with, from marriage to baby to media scrutiny and all in his personal life. He is the biggest star on the show. Virat Kohli needs to say ‘cricket boots, for six months, I will see you later’. Turn off social media, go and get re-energized.”
ALSO READ: Mumbai Indians To Rope In The IPL 2022 Commentator Dhawal Kulkarni?
He further elaborated, “When the stadiums are full again, you guarantee him a spot in that side for the next 12, 24, or 36 months. Tell him ‘you’re our guy, we know you’ll deliver for us’. I think he is going to find it very hard to continue delivering now. His brain, as Ravi Shastri said, is completely fried.”
Virat Kohli has registered two scores in excess of the 40s this IPL season but he is far away from his best currently. He has scored enterprising half-centuries in international cricket for the Indian team but his wait for a century is continuing in competitive cricket. The fans seem to agree with Ravi Shastri. Here are some of the reactions:
I totally agree with it.He needs some long break to renew his energy,to rethink what he can do with the bat.@imVkohli comeback stronger.#ViratKohli𓃵 https://t.co/5JlSKJmq15
— Soujith (@Soujith13) April 20, 2022
https://twitter.com/KohlifiedGal/status/1516608481712738304?s=20&t=4PJhck8HpNfTo6K5wq7vlA
He’s spot on, Virat needs to take a break if he’s planning to play for few more years. This ain’t working and it’s pretty much with every athlete, skip SA tour bc and go to himalayas @imVkohli https://t.co/GTToPGRuUu
— 🐉 (@majnugarfield) April 20, 2022
He's absolutely right
— ❤️ (@sujit41216) April 20, 2022
