Former India National Cricket Team player Deep Dasgupta has come up with a suggestion for Virat Kohli amid his struggles in Tests. He said that the batter needs to keep his ego aside and restrict playing cover drive for the first 20-25 balls.
Virat Kohli’s struggles against the ball outside off continued as the batter was dismissed in a similar fashion during the first innings of the ongoing third Test against the Australia National Cricket Team. The match between the teams is underway at The Gabba in Brisbane.
Kohli walked out to bat after India National Cricket Team lost both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill early. It was expected that the batter would steady the ship for the team, but that wasn’t the case, as Josh Hazlewood removed him early as well.
Virat Kohli scored just 3 runs in the Gabba Test
During his short stay at the crease, Virat Kohli chased a lot of deliveries outside off, and ultimately, one ball had his number and he was back in the hut after scoring just 3 runs off 16 balls. What has been frustrating is despite knowing that the ball brings his downfall, he kept offering shots.
Virat Kohli has an average of just around 15 against deliveries outside off. This in itself depicts the kind of trouble those balls bring him. He slammed a century in the first Test, and it seemed that his lean patch was over, but the same old story unfolded in the next two games.
Forget your favourite shot for a while – Deep Dasgupta on Virat Kohli
Amid Virat Kohli’s struggle, Deep Dasgupta said that batter needs to curtail the boundaries that he has set for him as things are not right. He said that a batter doesn’t need to prove himself, but initially, in his innings, he needs to restrict himself from playing his favorite shot. Speaking on Star Sports, he explained:
“This is a mental issue, not a technical one. As a player of your stature, it’s important to sometimes play within your boundaries. Everyone knows what you’re capable of—you’ve already proven your greatness over the last 10-15 years. There’s nothing left to prove. But occasionally, you need to focus on staying within your limits. Once you find your rhythm, you can gradually expand those limits.”
The favourite shot for the audience is a cover drive, forget it for 20 balls – Deep Dasgupta
Deep Dasgupta added that Virat Kohli needs to keep this “I’ve made all my runs like that” ego aside for the first 20 balls. He claimed that he is not demanding much from the batter but restricting himself from playing cover drive. He added:
“For the first 20 balls, forget about your favourite shot. Forget the cover drive that your fans love. Just put it aside for those 20 balls.”
Spot on, Deep Dasgupta
“Forget your fav shot cover drive for early 20-30 balls”
You need to keep this “I’ve made all my runs like that” ego aside sometimes & time demands revolution, and it’s that time.@imVkohli pic.twitter.com/FfIRMjpFa1
— POTT⁷⁶⁵ (@KlolZone) December 16, 2024
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