Form of Virat Kohli raises concerns: Here's what Rohit feels
Virat Kohli's poor run of form continued in the third and final T20I against England on Sunday. The right-hander was dismissed on 11(6) after hitting a superbly-timed six and a four each. He was dismissed cheaply in the second outing (1) too. In spite of the criticisms looming over Kohli's recent returns, India skipper Rohit Sharma came out in support of the former.
Here's what Rohit said on Kohli's form
"It is not difficult for us as we do not listen to the outside noise. I don't know who the experts are. I don't even understand why they are called experts. They are watching it from the outside, they don't know what is going on inside. We are building a team, we have a certain thought process," said Rohit in the post-match press conference.
Why does this story matter?
Kohli had stupendous returns in T20Is last year, given he averaged over 70.00. However, he has played just four matches this year with abysmal shows on three occasions. Add to that, he had a sub-par show in IPL 2022. His form has taken a beating across formats which could be a major concern for India heading into the T20 World Cup.
Kapil Dev questions Kohli's place in T20I squad
A few days back, former India skipper Kapil Dev opined on benching Kohli for the 2022 T20 World Cup. "Yes, now the situation is such that you might be forced to bench Kohli from T20 playing eleven. If world number two bowler Ashwin can be dropped from Test side then (once) world number one batter can also be dropped," Kapil told ABP News.
Experts are watching the game from outside: Rohit
Rohit disagreed with the 1983 World Cup-winning skipper's remarks regarding Kohli's presence in the Playing XI. "He [Kapil] is watching the game from outside and does not know what is happening inside. We have our thought process. We build our team and behind this, there is a lot of thinking. We back the boys and give them opportunities," he said.
Kohli averaged 6.00 in T20Is vs England
Kohli, who was rested for the first T20I against England, could rack up only 12 runs in two outings at 6.00. He has played just four T20Is this year in contrast to India's tally of 16 matches. Kohli amassed 81 runs in those fixtures at 20.25. That includes a fifty (52) against WI in February.
Kohli recorded three ducks in IPL 2022
Kohli didn't have a desirable run as per his standards in IPL 2022. He could fetch only 341 runs at 22.73. He recorded three ducks in the season, joint-most in 2022 with KL Rahul, Rashid Khan, Sunil Narine, Tim Southee, and Anuj Rawat.
Kohli averages 27.25 in Tests since January 2020
Since the start of 2020, Kohli averages less than 50 in T20Is (42.18), less than 40 in ODIs (39), and less than 30 in Tests (27.25). He also fared poorly in India's recently concluded Test series against England. Kohli scored just 249 runs across nine innings against the Three Lions. Since November 2019, he has scored just 1,008 runs in 34 Test innings.
Kohli has been century-less in last 21 ODIs
Kohli's last ODI ton was against West Indies in August 2019. He had slammed 114* off 99 deliveries. He hasn't brought up a hundred in ODI cricket since then. The Run Machine has averaged a mediocre 37.66 in this period. Kohli has 791 runs from 21 ODIs (10 fifties). He has registered a duck on three occasions.
