- Mar 4, 2024
- May 22, 2023
Virat Kohli has not been at his very best for more than two years now and it worsened once he was removed from captaincy. The batter fails to deliver every now and then. He had a poor test series against England last year and it was considerably worse than the 2014 misery. The legend has not been able to collect some runs to his name in the international arena off late.
Former India coach Ravi Shastri has slammed Virat Kohli’s critics and opined that all mouths will be shut if Kohli gets a fifty in the Asia Cup 2022. He said in a press conference arranged by Star Sports that the batter can go big anytime. The 60-year-old has been with the Indian veteran right through his tough phase. However, the latter has not been able to get a century since late 2019.
“I haven’t spoken to Virat Kohli recently but the ‘big guys’ always wake up at the right time. The downtime for Kohli was good before the Asia Cup gave him a good chance to reflect. If he manages to get a fifty in the match against Pakistan, mouths will be shut,” Shastri said.
“One innings can make a difference. He needs one innings to get back because the hunger is undiminished. What’s happened in the past is history. Remember public memory is very short,” he added.
Ravi Shastri highlighted on the importance of having the right mindset and was happy to back the Indian legend. He acknowledged Kohli’s fitness and rated him as the fittest of all.
“There is no Indian cricketer who is more fitter than Kohli. He’s a machine and if he manages to get his mind right, for him it is a matter of just 1 innings to come back into form,” he concluded.
The Delhi-born was rested for the Zimbabwe and West Indies series to give himself some time to reflect on. The batter has resumed training and will look to do well in the Asia Cup 2022. It won’t be easy for him to come and take the throne right away as he has not played a lot of games of late. But as fans say, for every 2014, there is a 2018 and the Indian selectors would hope to see the 2018 version of him.