Virat Controversy: Akash Malhotra joins in

Star India player Virat Kohli has snatched a larger number of headlines for his ongoing tough patch than for his power-packed performances for so many years.

Since 2019, Virat Kohli has been battling with his form. It is not like he has not scored runs but rather the batting marvel has set his standards so high that simple 40 or 50 odd runs wouldn’t be counted in accordance with his talent and potential as anything short of a century is viewed as a low score by Kohli.

With Kohli’s recent poor performances, questions have also been brought about his place in the team. Repeating comparable opinions, former India cricketer Ashok Malhotra said that it is about time for the team and the executives to look past Kohli and give amazing open doors to adolescents who have performed well in the recent past.

“I know he is a great player but it is difficult to make a comeback in the shorter format. It is easy to come back in the longer format, you have time there. But in T20Is, you have to hit from the word go and keep the momentum going. I think these are worrying signs for Virat Kohli,”

Malhotra, who is the President and Director of the Indian Cricketers’ Association, told Jagran TV.

“Players like Deepak Hooda, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan put pressure on the opposition. These players are ready to take Virat Kohli’s place in the team because Kohli’s bat has been silent for a long”.

Naming a few players who can replace Kohli in the team, Malhotra said.

Expressing shock over Kohli’s exclusion in India’s team for the ongoing West Indies tour, Ashok Malhotra said that when a batsman is out of form he will in general play increasingly more cricket to get back that certainty and return to his form. 

“We know he is a great player but even great players need matches to get back to form, I couldn’t understand Virat’s decision to take rest from the West Indies T20Is because when you are out of form, you would want to play more and more games and score runs”.

Malhotra said, adding.

Is this the end, or will there a Champion's comeback?#Cricket #ViratKohli https://t.co/6UCbjoLDQF

— Shiv Gupta (@ShivGupta01) July 14, 2022

Malhotra further revealed that the selectors didn’t believe he should rest for the West Indies tour; however, Kohli himself demanded taking a rest.

 “I had a conversation with the selectors and they said that they didn’t give him rest but Virat asked for rest. So, I feel his decision to take rest was not right”,

Malhotra further expressed

Malhotra said that Kohli ought not be accepting rest as he can’t get back to shape by simply sitting at home, adding that the expectations from him are coming down on him to perform. 

“He has to start from zero whenever he makes a comeback from rest. Virat Kohli’s out-of-form problem is in his mind. You can’t return to form sitting at home, you have returned to form on the field”,

he told Jagran TV.

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“We all know that he is mentally very tough. But there’s growing pressure on Virat. He has set the bar so high and there’s a lot of hope and expectation from him, every Indian wants him to play well,”

Malhotra concluded.