“They tend to forget my contributions in the last 4-5 years” - When Virat Kohli bounced back after horror 2014 England tour
While making and breaking records has defined Virat Kohli's illustrious career, it hasn't been always been always been a smooth ride. Kohli's worst stretch in international cricket was the horrific tour of England in 2014, where he went 14 innings without even a half-century, coming off a sensational T20 World Cup.
He was particularly disappointing in the five-Test series, averaging a dismal 13.40 with a highest score of only 39 in 10 innings.
The champion batter did score a 66 in the lone T20I outing but after another low score in the opening ODI of the home series against the West Indies that followed the England tour, Kohli had gone 15 Test and ODI innings without a half-century.
Finally, he redeemed himself with a 78-ball 62 in the second ODI to break the cold streak.
Before the next ODI in Dharamsala, Kohli responded to critics as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:
"It's funny in a way. The moment I don't score runs, people are very quick to criticise. They tend to forget my contributions in the last 4-5 years. I've been scoring consistently in all three formats of the game. At the same time - I'm not bragging about it - that's my nature; the way I like to play the game."
He added:
"You will have a bad patch and it is then you get to know the people who actually support you and those who are ready to rip you apart. I've seen a lot of people change, 360 degrees actually but that doesn't surprise me anymore. All I know is that I've got to feel good in my head and that's what gives me confidence."
Virat Kohli scored a brilliant 127 in the Dharamsala and the rest became history as he went on to achieve incredible success in Australia later that year.
Virat Kohli responded to the 2014 England woes in style four years later
Virat Kohli responded to his struggles in the 2014 Test series in England with a memorable showing in the subsequent England tour in 2018.
The 35-year-old finished as the leading run-scorer in the five-Test series with 593 runs at an average of 59.30, including two centuries and three fifties. Kohli's 97 and 103 in the third Test at Nottingham helped India win their lone outing of the Test series.
The 2018 England tour helped establish Kohli as an all-time great in the Test arena and his overall Test numbers in the country now reads a respectable 1,096 runs in 17 matches at an average of 33.21.