Virat Kohli has been going through a bad patch for a couple of years, but captain Rohit Sharma has backed the batter to come good and said he doesn’t understand why there is a debate.
One of the greatest players in the world, Virat has found himself in a situation where question marks have been raised over his place in the national team’s squad. Indian captain Sharma, however, does not feel the need to debate this topic and publicly defended Kohli for the second time in recent times.
Kohli, who has 70 hundreds in international cricket, has been going through a slump for the last couple of years. He hasn’t been able to score a century since August 2019, and the form has raised concerns to an extent where former cricketers like Kapil Dev have suggested dropping Kohli. The recent ODI will only fuel the debate as Kohli failed to score big in the second match against England.
The 33-year-old sat out of the first ODI due to groin injury but looked in very good touch, walking in the third over of the innings. He played three sumptuous drives but nicked an angling away delivery by David Willey to walk back on 16.
When asked about whether Kohli needed to be backed or be left out on the back of poor form, Rohit didn’t look amused and muttered:
“Kyun ho rahi hain, yaar. Matlab mujhe samajh mein nahi aata, bhai. (Why is this discussion happening. I can’t understand this).”
“He (Kohli) has played so many matches. He has been playing for so many years. He is such a great batsman so he does not need reassurance.
I pointed this out in my last press conference as well: form goes up and down, that is part and parcel of any cricketer’s career. So, a player like him, he only needs one or two good innings [to bounce back],”
It wasn’t just Rohit who defended Kohli, but England skipper Jos Buttler was also baffled with the discussion around Kohli’s place. The Englishman said Kohli’s record speaks for itself and felt he’s due a big knock.
Kohli will have one more opportunity to find some form before another break from the West Indies tour. India will take on England in the third and series-deciding ODI at Old Trafford on July 17.
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