Earlier this month, Virat Kohli decided to take a break from India’s tour of West Indies has received more negative reactions than in the second round. Kohli’s batting has seen a sharp decline with several former cricketers including Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev believing that the best way for Virat to regain his form is to play more. The tour of West Indies could have been ideal preparation for Kohli to score some runs ahead of the Asia Cup, but as things turned out, it was not. There are reports that Kohli could be a part of India’s tour of Zimbabwe to end his slump but nothing concrete has come out on the same.
However, the good news is that the West Indies tour could be the last break for Virat Kohli. Giving a major update on Kohli’s future, former India spinner and IPL Governing Council member, Pragyan Ojha said that Kohli is going to play all series in the build-up to the T20 World Cup.
“By coming back I am talking about scoring runs. Once a batsman of his caliber gets a few runs, things change a lot. And I am sure as I hear that after the West Indies tour, he Will go for all series. I don’t think he will take any breaks, which is a great thing. He should do that. I don’t think there is any problem with his skills or anything. He is batting brilliantly but never Sometimes how do you handle yourself mentally. Take care of the schedule. Look at Ben Stokes… He just said ‘boss, we are not vehicles you just put petrol and we run’. Sometimes it affects every player. But I am saying Virat should get every chance because if you don’t play how will you get the confidence?” Ojha told Jamie Alter on his Jhalak chat show, The Alternate View.
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Ojha has an interesting take on why Kohli is taking a break. The former left-arm spinner feels that maybe Kohli is not mentally better, which is common given how cricket has changed during the Covid pandemic. Kohli has played most of his cricket in the last two years inside bio-bubbles, which Ojha believes can have a mental impact on players. Having said that, Ojha said that the former India captain should have toured the Caribbean in a span of two months to restore some form before the two big ICC events.
“When you look at Virat’s batting, it’s not about skill or he’s not timing it well or his fitness has been impacted. He’s just there, and I’m very proud of his work ethic and discipline. I think better than others. The only thing is that he may be mentally stuck somewhere. Maybe that’s why he is taking regular breaks,” Ojha said.
“We have to understand that the last few years were very challenging with bio bubbles and all, and you don’t know how it affects someone personally. The right kind of support for what Virat has done for Indian cricket. But personally I think he should have been in West Indies because it was a great opportunity for him to come back and score some great runs.