"He has to fight with himself and get things in order" - Kapil Dev on Virat Kohli
Former Indian captain Kapil Dev wants compatriot Virat Kohli to leave no stone unturned in returning to form. The World Cup-winning skipper feels Kohli still has a lot to offer as a cricketer and should get things in order.
Kohli's lean run with the bat dates back to late 2019, when he last reached three figures in any form of the game. The right-handed batter, once known for scoring centuries for fun, now struggles sometimes to make a fifty. He hasn't made a fifty in India's ongoing England tour across formats.
"We have seen performance of all players goes up and down, but the quality of the player never gets worse"
Rohit Sharma is sure Virat Kohli will bounce back and get his form again
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Although Dev admitted that India have fared well in the last five or six years without Kohli being at his best, he wishes to see the right-handed batter return to form. The 63-year old believes Kohli is too good a player to take so long to get back in the runs.
He told ABP News (via Times of India):
"It's not like India haven't played without Virat in the last five to six years, but I want such a player to be back in form. He might have been dropped or rested but there's a lot of cricket left in him. Play Ranji Trophy or score runs anywhere. His confidence needs to be back.
"This is the difference between a great and a good player. A great player like him shouldn't take so much time to get back in form. He has to fight with himself and get things in order."
Dev earlier declared that Kohli's poor form shouldn't go unnoticed. In another interview with ABP news, he said the 33-year old must make way for youngsters if he isn't performing.
"I don't think there's a bigger player than Kohli in T20s right now" - Kapil Dev
The 131-Test veteran agreed that Kohli still has the potential to return to his best, but warned that his lack of runs could be detrimental. Dev added:
"The most important thing is how a player like Kohli can return to form. He's not an ordinary cricketer. He should get more practice, play more matches to get back to his old self. I don't think there's a bigger player than Kohli in T20s right now but when you are not doing well, the selectors can take their call."
This is some spell. Kohli departs...
Scorecard/clips: ms.spr.ly/6017bNqnc
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The Delhi-born player managed only 16 runs in the second ODI against England at Lord's as India lost by 100 runs, chasing 246. His highest score across all three formats in England this time was 20. With the likes of Deepak Hooda and Shreyas Iyer making a strong case for the No. 3 spot, Kohli will feel the pressure to stage a comeback.