Kumble feels Kohli is 'trying bit too hard' in ODIs
What's the story
Former Indian cricket team skipper and head coach Anil Kumble has voiced his concern over Virat Kohli's current form.
He feels Kohli is "trying too hard," which is making it difficult for him to find his feet during a lean patch.
Since the 2023 World Cup, Kohli has only scored 137 runs in six ODI innings, including a solitary half-century.
In India's Champions Trophy 2025 opener against Bangladesh, he scored 22 off 38 balls before being dismissed by Rishad Hossain.
Expert advice
Kumble urges Kohli to relax amid performance pressure
Speaking on ESPNcricinfo Match Day, Kumble said," Having been through a lean patch, so to speak, especially in white-ball cricket - he hasn't had that kind of run for a long time."
"I think he's trying a bit too hard. You can see that in the way he is going about his innings," Kumble added.
He further suggested that Kohli should emulate Rohit and stated, "He just needs to not worry about it. Rohit comes in there, has the freedom."
Performance analysis
Kumble analyzes Kohli's struggle against spin
Kumble also analyzed Kohli's recent struggle against spin and noted, "To start off against spin, on surfaces like that, you need a lot of confidence. He's certainly trying too hard to maneuver that."
He suggested that this could be because of 'trying too hard' to score runs rather than just working the ball around.
"He's a good player of spin when he's in form, when he's wanting to just knock singles off and keep rotating the strike," Kumble added.
Additional insights
Manjrekar weighs in on Kohli's form and confidence
Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar also shared his views on Kohli's form.
"He's in a tight corner, Virat Kohli. His confidence is still down," Manjrekar said. "He wants to still show that he's up there for a fight," he stated as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
"Now Rohit still has the big game. He can step out and hit over extra cover and play the short-arm pull and willing to take chances. Kohli doesn't have the big game anymore," he added.
Stats
Kohli averages 57.78 in ODIs
The star batter is shy of 15 runs to reach the 14,000-ODI runs mark, having amassed 13,985 runs.
According to ESPNcricinfo, he averages 57.78, while he strikes at 93.43 across 298 ODIs, (286 innings).
Additionally, he also boasts 50 tons (the most in ODIs) alongside 73 fifties.
Meanwhile, he also owns 551 runs in 13 Champions Trophy innings at 78.71, including five fifties.
Match recap
All-round India beat Bangladesh in their Champions Trophy opener
Team India comprehensively beat Bangladesh by six wickets in the second match of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.
The Men in Blue comfortably accomplished the 229-run target in Dubai thanks to a brilliant hundred from Shubman Gill.
Earlier in the game, Bangladesh posted a competitive total of 228/10 thanks to a record-breaking partnership between centurion Towhid Hridoy and Jaker Ali.
Mohammed Shami claimed a fifer.
Notably, Shami also became the joint-second-fastest bowler to touch the 200-wicket mark in ODIs.