Shastri asks Kohli to pull out of IPL
KOLKATA: Former India coach Ravi Shastri has urged Virat Kohli to take a break, even if it means “pulling out of the IPL, for all you care” to prevent burnout. Without a century to his name since November, 2019, Kohli has endured a horrid run in the IPL so far, stringing scores of 1, 12, 0, 0, 0 and 9 for Royal Challengers Bangalore in his last five outings after a decent start that saw him score 41 and 48 within the first four matches.
“I think a break is ideal for him because he has played nonstop cricket and he has captained the side across all formats. It will be wise of him to take a break,” Shastri told Star Sports presenter Jatin Sapru on his Youtube channel. “You know, sometimes you have to (find the) balance. This year he is already into the tournament (IPL 2022), tomorrow if push comes to shove and you want to prolong your international career and make a mark there for 6-7 years, pull out of the IPL, for all you care.”
Two golden ducks batting at No 3 prompted Kohli to open against Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday, but he couldn’t connect the cover drive—his bread and butter shot—before almost dragging the ball onto the stumps. Both shots fetched him boundaries alright, but this wasn’t the Kohli fans were used to seeing even until a month back.
Irrespective of his current form, Kohli makes it a point to attack bowlers, but Tuesday was probably the first time in his illustrious career that he looked so out of sync in every stroke he attempted. Sensing his unease, Royals deployed close-in fielders and had Prasidh Krishna bowling short to him. Kohli’s dismissal, as it turned out, was a matter of time as he failed to properly connect a pull, getting a leading edge to be caught at gully.
For a long time, Kohli had taken the art of playing percentage cricket in T20 to another level, cutting out risky shots and building his innings by scoring boundaries in the ‘V’, and by running hard for singles and twos. Right now though, nothing is working for him. “Great players go through phases like this,” RCB captain Faf du Plessis said after their 29-run defeat. That the entire setup is working to get Kohli back on track was evident from what du Plessis said about deciding to open with Kohli. “We wanted him to get in straightaway so that he doesn’t sit on the sidelines and think about the game. He is a great player and we still back him to turn it around. It’s a game of confidence.”
RCB head coach Sanjay Bangar, who was the Indian team’s batting consultant with Shastri as head coach, is also not losing hope. “Regarding Kohli’s form, he’s a great cricketer. He’s experienced these highs and lows many times before. I’ve observed him from close quarters. He has the spirit and he’ll emerge from this run of low scores in the last few games. In the coming crucial games, he’ll help us win,” he said. “Yes, he’s had a low run of scores but he is so mentally strong, he’ll be able to put in a better performance.”
Shastri though isn’t one to hold back. For the second time this IPL, he has advised Kohli to take a break. “Not only Virat, I’ll tell that to any other player. If you want to play and do well for India, you have to draw the line where you want to take that break and the ideal break would be off-season where India is not playing and the only time India does not play is the IPL,” the former India all-rounder said.