The former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has blamed the former head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team Ravi Shastri, for the former Indian skipper Virat Kohli’s poor form with the bat.
Kohli, certainly a once-in-a-generation player, has been struggling to score runs for a long time now. The 33-year-old has scored more than 8000 runs in Tests, 12000 runs in One Day Internationals, and 3000 runs in T20 Internationals. Despite his poor stint for a while, Kohli still has an average of almost 50, in all three formats.
Kohli is the active player with the most centuries, in his account. However, he has not scored a century for a long time now. His last ton came against Bangladesh, in India’s first-ever Pink Ball Test, at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, back in November 2019.
Also, the former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper was not at his best in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) edition. Kohli notched 341 runs in 16 innings that he played. The RCB opener averaged merely 22.73 and scored a couple of fifties, both against the IPL 2022 champions Gujarat Titans (GT).
Rashid Latif, the former Pakistan wicketkeeper batter, shared a video on his YouTube channel, in which, he discussed Kohli’s form. Latif stated that Ravi Shastri was a broadcaster and had nothing to do with the coaching role of the Indian men’s cricket team.
Latif said, “It is because of him (Ravi Shastri) that this has happened. In 2019, you sidelined a player like Kumble and in came Ravi Shastri. Whether he had the accreditation or not, I have no idea. He was a broadcaster. Had no business in coaching.”
“Barring Virat Kohli, I am sure there would have been other people who played a role in getting Shastri in. But that is backfiring now, isn’t it? Had he (Shastri) not become the coach, he (Kohli) wouldn’t have gone out (of form),” added Latif.
While Shastri’s stint came to an end after the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, the former Indian skipper Rahul Dravid was appointed as the head coach of the side.
Virat Kohli to return to action against England
Meanwhile, Kohli was rested from the national duty, after the IPL. Kohli and other seniors rested for the home T20I series against South Africa. Presently, he is in England, preparing for the only remaining Test from the last year’s schedule. The Test will be played at Edgbaston, Birmingham from Friday, July 1.
Written By Prachi Pisal
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