Former Indian coach Anil Kumble has shared insights into Virat Kohli‘s struggles with form in limited over-cricket.
Kohli has been struggling to maintain consistency after the conclusion of the 2023 ODI World Cup, as he managed to score only 137 runs in six innings with one half-century.
His once against struggled during India’s Champions Trophy opener match against Bangladesh where he was dismissed for 22 runs off 38 deliveries.
Speaking about him Anil Kumble said, “Having been through a lean patch, especially in white-ball cricket, I feel he’s trying a bit too hard.”
“When you have that kind of pressure and expectation, you suddenly start putting undue importance on it, and then try too hard to do well. When you do that, you’re not really relaxed,” Kumble explained.
“The best innings that I am sure he’s played, he’s not even thinking about all of that. The best bowling performances, you’re not even thinking about all of that.”
“I think he’s trying a bit too hard. You can see that in the way he is going about his innings. He just needs to not worry about it.”
“Rohit [Sharma] comes in there, has the freedom because there is plenty of batting and all of them are in great form. Similarly for Virat, he just needs to come in and not worry about anything else.”
Kohli’s last six dismissals have come to spin – five of them to legspin. It was evident that struggling against spin recently which was also seen during the England series.
“To start off against spin, on that kind of a surface, you need a lot of confidence. He is certainly trying too hard to maneuver that. He is a good player of spin when he is in form,” Kumble said.
“I get a feeling watching him bat, I think he is putting a lot more pressure on himself, so he just needs to relax a little bit. Not worry too much about the outcome of what is happening on the field,” he concluded.
India will be hoping for Virat Kohli to find his rhythm when they meet their arch rivals Pakistan in much awaited contest on February 23 at Dubai International Stadium.
