The time might just be running out for Virat Kohli — the Test batter. In the ongoing IND vs AUS Test series, the 36-year-old has largely failed, except for that majestic ton in Perth. In the Brisbane Test too, he succumbed to his weakness outside off, that is leading to his downfall. This year, in the first innings’ of a Test, he only averages only 9, which is poor by every standard.
Virat Kohli Looks Fine in Nets
Now former India selector Devang Gandhi feels, it is time for Abhishek Nayar and Gautam Gambhir to handle this situation. “It would be very easy to target Nayar as a low-hanging fruit or, for that matter, Gautam. But they have just come into the system. To discuss or nudge a player, first, you need to be around for some time, and once there is some mutual trust between the two, you can offer him solutions. But at this level, it is more about the experienced player’s own mental make-up,” Gandhi told PTI.
“If you watch his training videos available for the public, I find him doing all the right things. During training he is playing close to his body. But the moment it is the match situation, the hands are moving towards those channel deliveries like conditioned reflex or muscle memory. The moment his bat is away from the body, the bat-face will open up towards cover. Now this is a white ball problem of hitting through the line. In India the ball will hit the bottom of the bat, but in Australia, it will towards the upper part.”
Abhishek Nayar & Gautam Gambhir Need to Have Honest Conversations
Gandhi, meanwhile also admitted that the change has to come from Virat Kohli himself, given his credentials and age. And Gambhir and Nayar can also just tell him not to poke at deliveries outside off. “What solution can Gambhir or Nayar possibly give, apart from telling him to not play those deliveries?
“After 30 Test hundreds, Virat doesn’t need to be told that but at 36, does he have that patience to accept that now if he scores a hundred, it will be off 200 balls and not 140 like earlier times? Can he bide those extra 60 balls? It’s about controlling the mind. You can be a sounding board for players like Tendulkar and Kohli but at this stage, you can’t coach them. Coaching happens at junior level,” Gandhi added.
“Of course, at some point, honest conversations are necessary. But first, they should ask him what his corrective options are and then offer their own if they have something different to contribute.”
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