Former Australia cricketer Greg Chappell has come up with a massive suggestion for the India National Cricket Team batter Virat Kohli amid his struggles in Tests. He said that the batter is suffering from Elite Performance Decline Syndrome (EPDS) and that the batter needs to buffer a score of 20 or 30 to regain his confidence.
India National Cricket Team batter Virat Kohli has been struggling to get going in the Tests. This has come as a massive surprise because even after scoring a century in the first Test against Australia in Perth, he hasn’t looked confident at all in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
Virat Kohli hasn’t been at his best after Perth Test in the ongoing BGT
Kohli played a magnificent innings of 100 runs in the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. However, after that, he has looked torrid with the bat and has struggled against the line outside off, with Australia National Cricket Team pacers having his number in the last two matches.
Kohli, in the last two Tests, has mustered just 26 runs, which reveals his struggles as a batter in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. The premier batter hasn’t looked at his best in the last two matches and would be keen to turn around things in the final two Tests of the series.
Virat Kohli, who is averaging just around 25 in Tests this year, has looked tentative early on his innings. The batter hasn’t been able to trust his defense and has poked at the balls that were outside off, leading to his dismissal in the last four innings of the ongoing series.
Kohli, once renowned for his domineering starts, has in recent years shown a tendency to begin tentatively – Greg Chappell
Greg Chappell said that Virat Kohli’s approach at the crease is a sign of EPDS. He said that the batter in the last few years has shown a tendency to begin tentatively. Writing in his column for The Sydney Morning Herald, he explained:
“The first visible sign of EPDS is a subtle but unmistakable shift in a player’s approach at the crease. Kohli, once renowned for his domineering starts, has in recent years shown a tendency to begin tentatively.”
Reaching a score of 20 or 30 acts as a psychological turning point – Greg Chappell’s suggestion to Virat Kohli
Greg Chappell, while correlating Virat Kohli’s form with Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting, suggested that the batter needs a buffer of 20-30 runs to rediscover his flow at the crease. He believes that if the batter does that, it will help him to regain confidence. He elaborated:
“Much like Tendulkar and Ponting before him, Kohli seems to need a buffer – a score of 20 or 30 – before he can rediscover his flow. Reaching a score of 20 or 30 acts as a psychological turning point, helping them regain the confidence and fluency of their prime,”
Overall 2024 hasn’t been a great year for Virat Kohli at all. In the 9 games that he has played so far, the premier batter has mustered 376 runs at an average of 25.06, with his highest score being 100 not out.