How does one brush the odds away and make a statement that the impossible may happen in a week’s time that has failed to happen for over 1000 days?
The player under the lens is Virat Kohli, who has been struggling for form for nearly three years. His failure to score a hundred in this period described above is the main moot point. He has been striking a few fifties, but the pain in reaching that milestone is evident. Moreover, the number of ‘ ducks’ weighs against him. In the past, Virat Kohli was always a part of the XI and as a captain, except on a few personal occasions. Then came a time when he was in the XI as a player with captaincy removed either voluntarily or due to external forces. Now, he is skipping tours or being rested.
Ravi Shahstri has always figured on the same page as Kohli before retiring from India Coach.
Shastri has always been loud about Virat’s super abilities and still maintains so. It’s just five days left for the all-crucial clash against the Pakistanis in the Asia Cup, and Virat Kohli may find a place in the playing XI.
Whether Virat replacing in- firm new batsman would affect the team remains to be seen with critics calleing Kohli as ‘Extra Baggage!”.
Ravi Shahstri had this to say.
“I haven’t spoken to him but it’s not rocket science. Big players wake up in due course. They need a break; mental fatigue can creep in to the best in the world. There is a not a single player in world cricket who has not gone through a bad patch and I am sure this downtime is not just for the body, it’s time to reflect. He would have reflected as to what things he could have done better,” Shahstri said
Shahstri also weighs the situation for Kohli in a psychological manner by saying the following:
“What he didn’t do right? What things he did absolutely right and should keep focussing on that. What he allowed to come into his mindset that was just not required or relevant? All these things come into play. You get an opportunity to then decide, what the future course of action is. Whether it is shot selection, or it is how you plan, when to shift gears, should I give him more time? And now it is time for him to execute those plans.”
Shahstri commented on Kohli’s criticism, whether for his performance or because he has chosen not to take breaks. Since his previous international half-century in February, Kohli has struggled to find his form, frequently caught in the outside-off trap and failing to post significant scores. Since Kohli and the fans have been sidelined since July 17, Shastri is optimistic that a new beginning is in sight for all parties.
“He will come back with a calmer mind, because the heat is off. You have been away. Now, what you do will get the tone. He gets a fifty in the very first game; mouths will be shut for the rest of the tournament. What’s happened in the past is history. Remember, public memory is very short. So it works both ways. His opportunity here is to get that calmness and then take it one day at a time,” he pointed out.
