"When you do that, you're not really relaxed" - Former coach's huge statement on Virat Kohli after BAN vs IND 2025 Champions Trophy clash
Former India bowler and head coach Anil Kumble has opined that ace batter Virat Kohli's overcompensation act while batting is backfiring, and instead urged him to employ a much more relaxed state at the crease. The right-handed batter scored a scratchy 22 off 38 balls, before being dismissed by Rishad Hossain in the Champions Trophy 2025 clash against Bangladesh in Dubai on Thursday, February 20.
Kohli did not have a heap load of runs to his name coming into the Champions Trophy 2025, but had scored a fluent fifty in his last appearance against England in Ahmedabad.
However, against Bangladesh, he struggled from the get-go. It took him 10 deliveries to get off the mark, and largely dealt with strike rotation, before a soft dismissal in the 23rd over of the run chase.
Kumble remarked that Kohli is putting a lot of 'undue' pressure on himself, which is affecting his game in general.
"I feel he is trying a bit too hard. When you have that kind of pressure, and when you have that kind of expectations, you suddenly sort of start putting undue importance to all of that, and try hard to do well. When you do that, you are not really relaxed," Kumble said on ESPN Cricinfo.
"I think he is trying too hard, you can see it in the way he is going about his innings. He just needs to not worry about it. He just needs to come in, and not worry about anything else," he added.
The clash against Bangladesh was Kohli's first-ever ODI outing at the Dubai International Stadium. The ace batter will have to devise a game plan to be productive on a slow surface, with India set to play all their matches at the same venue as part of the hybrid model.
"I think he is putting a lot more pressure on himself" - Anil Kumble on Virat Kohli
Since the 2023 ODI World Cup, Kohli has played six ODIs, gathering a start in almost all of them. He has been susceptible to spin bowling of late, with each of his last six dismissals being crafted by spinners.
"To start off against spin, on that kind of a surface, you need a lot of confidence. He is certainly trying too hard to maneuver that. He is a good player of spin when he is in form," Kumble said (as per the aforementioned source).
"I get a feeling watching him bat, I think he is putting a lot more pressure on himself, so he just needs to relax a little bit. Not worry too much about the outcome of what is happening on the field," he concluded.
India will face Pakistan next in Group A of the Champions Trophy 2025 on Sunday, February 23.