"It is shocking news for me" - Virat Kohli's coach Rajkumar Sharma on his ward falling to No.5 in ICC Test rankings
Virat Kohli's coach Rajkumar Sharma has expressed shock at his ward having slipped to fifth spot in the latest ICC Test batsman rankings.
Kohli was ranked fourth before the series against England. However, his indifferent form coupled with Joe Root's exploits with the bat has led to the England skipper's rise in the rankings at the expense of his Indian counterpart.
During a discussion on India News, Rajkumar Sharma was stunned that Virat Kohli is no longer in the top four of the ICC rankings. He said:
"It is shocking news for me that Virat Kohli has fallen to the fifth spot. I was expecting that Joe Root would have probably gone ahead of him. I will definitely talk to him."
Virat Kohli's childhood coach added that the Indian run-machine was not too concerned about the lack of runs from his willow and felt a big hundred is around the corner. Sharma elaborated:
"I don't feel there is any need to motivate him because he is extremely motivated. When I had spoken to him after the last match as well, he was quite excited and was happy that they had won and was not too worried about his runs. When he has such an attitude, a big hundred is about to come."
While Joe Root has jumped to second spot in the ICC Test batsman rankings, Kane Williamson, Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne are also ahead of Virat Kohli by more than a hundred points.
Rajkumar Sharma wants Virat Kohli to emulate Joe Root
Rajkumar Sharma was also asked if Joe Root had posed a challenge to Virat Kohli, much like Smith and Williamson in the past. He responded:
"It is not a challenge but he [Root] has batted fantastically. I have always said that that he is an amazing player because he has a very good temperament and technique in any case. When he plays on his home ground and especially against India, I feel he is extremely motivated."
The former Ranji Trophy player signed off by hoping that Virat Kohli can follow in Root's footsteps and play substantial knocks. Sharma observed:
"I would say it is a challenge for Virat to chase Joe Root. I have full hope because I have known Virat from his childhood, he loves challenges. So it is a good challenge and we will see a good contest in the upcoming matches."
Virat Kohli has not only struggled somewhat in the ongoing series against England but has endured a prolonged lean run since the start of 2020. The Indian batting mainstay has scored just 407 runs in the ten Tests he has played in this period at an underwhelming average of 23.94.