“It’s what is happening off the field as well” - Former Australia bowler’s massive statement on Virat Kohli post BGT 2024-25
Former Australia cricketer Brad Hogg reckons that Virat Kohli's failures with the bat in Tests over the last few months is mainly due to his workload off the field. He reckoned that the 36-year-old is playing a lot of cricket, including Indian Premier League (IPL) besides his off-field commitments.
Notably, Kohli is the most followed cricketer on Instagram, which makes him a sought after face in world cricket, especially advertisement.
The remarks came after Kohli failed to deliver with the bat in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The right-handed batter scored 190 runs in nine innings at an average of 23.75 despite an unbeaten century. He has managed 392 runs in his last 10 Tests, averaging 23.05.
Brad Hogg said on his YouTube channel:
"14:28 – And then all of a sudden, he’s got a family now. He’s got other commitments off the field that he didn’t have when he was really dominating all three formats around the globe. So, it’s not just about the cricket, it’s what happening off the field as well."
"15:57 – I think it’s more the drama off-field than on-field more Virat Kohli. I just think he’s just got too much on his plate that’s probably caused him to not perform as well at this moment," he added.
"There’s a lot of pressure on him" - Brad Hogg on Virat Kohli
Brad Hogg believes that Virat Kohli has added burden of being an 'elite' player at the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The 53-year-old said:
"13:58 – I think it’s probably more the volume of cricket that’s been played out at the present moment because you try and play as much you can for India in all three formats. And then you got the IPL and it is extended for a week or two as well."
"So, there’s a lot of pressure there as well because owners are spending big money on players in the IPL. Virat Kohli is the elite player at RCB. So, there’s a lot of pressure on him there," he added.
Virat Kohli was retained by RCB for ₹21 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 season. He is reportedly likely to return to leadership role this year.