Kapil off the long run: Kohli’s reflexes slowing
India’s World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev believes Virat Kohli’s reflexes have slowed and he needs to practise more.
Indian captain Kohli had a woeful test series against New Zealand, as his side was thumped in both matches in Wellington and Christchurch.
Kohli has scored 27 test centuries but never got going in New Zealand, scoring 2, 19, 3 and 14. He amassed just 38 runs in the tests at an average of 9.5 – a shadow of his career test average of 53.
It was a miserable tour for Kohli, who scored 218 runs at an average of 19.8 with just one half-century in 11 innings in all three formats.
He ran into further strife in the second test in Christchurch this week, allegedly swearing at a section of the Hagley Oval crowd, and giving New Zealand captain Kane Williamson an apparent crude send off when he got out in the first innings.
Kohli also snapped at a Stuff reporter at the post-match press conference when asked about his behaviour in the field.
Indian great Dev said the 31-yearold was a batting genius, but his reflexes and eyesight weren’t as strong as earlier in his career, which was natural for any cricketer. Kohli’s form slump could be addressed by more time spent in the nets on his batting, he said.
‘‘When you reach a certain age, when you cross 30, then it affects your eyesight. Inswings, which used to be his strength, he used to flick them for four, but now he has been dismissed twice. So I think he needs to adjust his eyesight a bit,’’ Dev told ABP News.
‘‘When big players start getting bowled or lbw to incoming deliveries then you have to tell them to practise more. It shows that your eyes and your reflexes have slowed down a bit and in no time your strengths turn into your weakness.’’
Dev stressed Kohli wasn’t the first batsman to encounter similar issues. Plenty of other legendary batsmen had flourished later in their careers and he was confident Kohli would be fine.
‘‘From 18-24, your eyesight is at the optimum level, but after that it depends on how you work on it. Players like [former Indian stars] Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid and [West Indies batting great] Viv Richards have also faced similar difficulties in their career.’’
India’s next assignment is a three-match ODI series at home against South Africa, starting on Thursday.
Dev backed Kohli to quickly return to his run scoring ways. Playing for his Royal Challengers Bangalore side in the Indian Premier League T20 competition, beginning in late March, would also be valuable for him.
‘‘I think IPL will help him. He will start getting the hang of it. He’s a great cricketer. He will definitely realise it himself and make adjustments.’’