Ravi Shastri makes bold claim about Virat Kohli’s future as a player
Virat Kohli Photo by MARCO LONGARI/AFP via Getty Images)
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has said that a two-three month break can calm down Virat Kohli as a player. Kohli left Test captaincy after India lost the three-match Test series against South Africa. His batting has also been impacted due to captaincy, although he is still averaging more than 50 in Tests and ODIs. He has been stuck on 70 international across formats since November 2019.
Since then, he has come close to scoring a century quite a few times across but couldn’t succeed. In Test, the right-hander has scored 27 centuries, while in ODIs, the 33-year-old has got 43 centuries. His next international assignment is limited-overs cricket will be against West Indies in February. The Delhi-born cricketer will then play his 100th Test against Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, Shastri has said that Kohli has five years of good cricket ahead of him. The former head coach also said that a small break can do a world of good to Kohli.
“He realizes he is 33, he realizes he has five years of good cricket ahead of him. If he can calm down, focus on his batting, take one game at a time, probably take a break from the game as well. I think if he sits out for two or three months or takes a break for a series, it would do him a world of good,” Shastri told Shoaib Akhtar on the former Pakistan pacer’s YouTube channel.
The 1983-World Cup winner added that he wants to see Virat Kohli of old, where he helps the team win matches. “To come back and play those three-four years as king, absolute king. You know where he is clear mentally, knows exactly what his job and role are, and then plays as a team player, that’s where I want to see Virat Kohli now. To come, contribute big time as a team player and help the team win,” he added.
