When Virat Kohli Scored his 70th international ton during a day-night Test against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens in 2019, it was his unrealistic pace and consistency with which India The batsman was registering centuries in Tests and ODIs. And it was being predicted that Tendulkar’s record of 100 international tons was facing a real threat.
Fast forward to June 2019 and Kohli finds himself still in the limelight, a hot topic of debate. Only this time the focus is on the decline in his long form, which has seen him amass 70 centuries for almost three years.
Earlier this lack of three-digit scores has now evolved into a series of low scores. Some are now questioning his place in the India XI as well.
Former players have given their assessment on how Kohli can bring back his old form. Some have suggested a change in technique, others say it is just a matter of mental adjustment.
One of the suggestions is that Kohli should play more on the back foot to avoid sharp deliveries. However, former India cricketer Ravindra Jadeja does not fall into that argument.
He says that most of Kohli’s runs have come from the same technique (front foot play) and even when he is at his peak, he is someone who rarely plays cut shots.
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“Virat Kohli is a great player. Most of his runs (from that old technique) came. Even in his best form, he is not someone who has bitten the ball while scoring a century. If you look at him now and say, ‘Has he changed anything? I don’t think he has. It’s just that the scores aren’t coming up. I would probably worry that he is scoring 20 and 30, if he gets out in the first 10-12 balls, it is okay because any batsman can get out then,” Jadeja said. Sony Sports,
He said, ‘I know that people believe that he should play on the back foot. Obviously everything seems easy here sitting on the TV. You get 2 yards extra, and you can see a different line. But he has always been like this. If he had changed something, you could have said, ‘Maybe the backfoot play isn’t happening’. Show me any century in which he plays a cut shot, and show me a shot when he goes back to mid-on or mid-wicket,” he said.
Jadeja feels that Kohli should only keep his mental attitude. “For me, it is the same Virat Kohli physically. I think it is the mental aspect,” he said.
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