Former India cricketer WV Raman talked about Kohli’s recent form, pointing out that great players are held to higher standards or expectations and there’s a lot of pressure that comes with it.
The Indian captain has been struggling with his form and it’s been a long time. It has been two years and 50 innings since Kohli last registered an international century. There have been some serious concerns over his form, and the advices are pouring in from all corners.
Kohli hasn’t been able to make his impact with the bat in the ongoing series against England, scoring 124 runs in five innings with only one fifty+ score to his name.
“See we cannot really fault him. There is a lot of pressure on Virat himself. We know he is one of the best batsmen so we expect a lot from him. It’s similar to how it was with Sachin Tendulkar when he was playing. Even 95 was considered a failure,”
Raman stated in an interview by Sony.
Raman suggested that Kohli should forget the idea of leading the side from front and should rather push others to do better and lead from behind. He believes that the Indian skipper looked his old self in the second innings at Headingley and will do well in the next two matches.
“If I was Virat’s coach, I would tell him: “Virat, enough of this leading from the front. Just try and nudge the others from behind and get them to do what they can deliver. I’m sure you’ll be back at your best in no time”
he added.
Raman, who has played 11 Tests for India between 1988 to 1997, added that the Indian management should think of adding an extra batter, and the batters need to work out the right approach to counter the conditions like the openers have done.
The ongoing series between England and India is levelled at 1-1 with two more Tests to go. The fourth Test is slated to start in two days at Kennington Oval from September 2.
