"There is no need to be overaggressive" - Aakash Chopra on what Virat Kohli needs to do in the 2nd India vs West Indies ODI
Aakash Chopra believes Virat Kohli should refrain from being ultra-aggressive and stick to his tried-and-tested formula in the second ODI against West Indies.
Kohli scored just eight runs in the first ODI against the Windies. He seemed to throw caution to the wind and was dismissed caught at long leg while playing a pull shot against Alzarri Joseph.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra had a word of advice for Kohli. He said:
"Kohli has scored a lot of runs. This horse will keep running but the truth is that the mind space is not right at the moment. So go back to the basics, follow the formula to the T. The foot movement in order to make runs but in my opinion, there is no need to be overaggressive."
The cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted that Team India's batting mainstay has not been his usual self of late. Chopra explained:
"For the first time, we saw Virat Kohli playing in a different fashion. What made Virat special was that he was a process-driven person, he used to go with discipline and he was slightly different from the others."
Kohli is not known to take the attack to the opposition bowlers at the outset of his innings. He generally gets his eye in before looking for boundaries.
"Virat Kohli never played big shots when he had just come to the crease" - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra highlighted that Kohli would usually concentrate on rotating the strike at the start of his innings. He elaborated:
"When he comes at the start he used to defend or leave deliveries along with singles and doubles. Although he was always looking for runs, he never played big shots when he had just come to the crease or he will just defend at the start."
The 44-year-old added that Kohli has either been ultra-defensive or overaggressive in the last few matches he has played. Chopra observed:
"But if you see the last few encounters, if you see South Africa it seemed he was too defensive and in one match he started hitting, that he is just going to hit. That's exactly how he played in the last game, four balls, shot after shot and then out. This is not the Virat Kohli we see."
Virat Kohli in the practice batting in the Nets sessions. https://t.co/1uROHM4oTT
Aakash Chopra also pointed out that Kohli's long wait for the 71st century is not as big a concern as the batting behemoth's approach in the middle.