IPL 2022: "He wants to play every ball" - Ravi Shastri advises Virat Kohli to be more 'disciplined' to return to form
Former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri has advised Virat Kohli to be more 'watchful', 'careful' and 'disciplined' at the start of his innings to return amongst the runs. Shastri, who has spent many years with Kohli in the national team, feels the right-hander is trying to play every ball and losing concentration in the process.
Kohli, who came to IPL 2022 after a middling international season, scored 41* (29) for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in a losing cause and 12 (seven) in the win against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He looked in brilliant touch against KKR, hitting two quick boundaries, but went chasing after a wide good-length delivery against Umesh Yadav, edging it to the wicketkeeper.
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Shastri said Kohli needs to give himself some time at the start to get used to the conditions, "even if it means leaving some balls". He explained:
"He'll have to give himself the opportunity for that (big score). He'll have to be a little more watchful. Looking from the outside, what I think is he wants to play every ball. Sometimes when you are not amongst the runs, you feel like wanting to play every ball. There should be that discipline where if there's something in the pitch, swing or seam, then you have to be a little careful at the start. You'll have to leave a couple of balls as well to get used to the pace and bounce of the pitch. He should give himself some time even if it means leaving some balls."
Shastri observed Kohli's tendency to get out against the run of play that began during the tour of South Africa last December. He said this can change not with luck but with discipline and respecting the conditions. He added:
"This has been going on from South Africa. Till the time he's at the crease, he's playing really well. He plays four-five brilliant shots for boundaries then gets out against the run of play. You know, the bat goes chasing the wide ball. There should be focus and discipline there. Concentration is important in every format, not just Test cricket... Sometimes you just have to respect the conditions. He can leave a couple of balls. He's a big player and can cover up the run-ball deficit easily. So he just needs to be a bit disciplined... (On his luck) Sometimes you have to make your own luck. If you are set, you must make it count. And yes, it's just about one inning. If he bats 16-17 overs, hits a 100 or even 70-80, it'll have a big impact."
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RCB will now play against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Tuesday at the Wankhade Stadium. Kohli has a decent record against the inaugural champions - 579 runs from 24 matches at an average of 30.47 and a strike rate of 116.73. But in the last three years, this average rises to 65 - the most for him against any IPL team.
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"Josh Hazlewood will come right in" - Ravi Shastri
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Speaking on RCB's squad selection for the match, Shastri said that although RCB won their last match, Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood, who missed the first two games due to national duty, will "come right in" because he can use the seamer-friendly conditions better than most bowlers. The 59-year-old said:
"Absolutely, he'll come right in. The pitches we are seeing here, the seam movement available - no one can make use of those conditions better than Hazlewood. He has the height, he'll get the ball to swing and he has the ability to pick up wickets which is very important for Bangalore."
Hazlewood is likely to make way for David Willey in the match. According to the IPL schedule 2022, the proceedings will begin at 7:30 pm IST.