Virat Kohli‘s childhood coach, Rajkumar Sharma, believes it’s unfair to claim the batter is out of form after a few setbacks in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Noting that the 36-year-old has a century in the series, Sharma expressed confidence that Kohli will make a strong comeback soon.
Kohli began the BGT 2024-25 with a score of five in Perth, but followed it up with an unbeaten 100 in India’s 295-run victory in the opening Test. However, he hasn’t had a significant innings since then, getting out for three in the first innings of the current Brisbane Test.
In an interview with news agency PTI, Sharma disagreed with the widely held belief that Kohli is struggling with his batting rhythm. He added:
“He (Kohli) has been performing well since 2008. It will be unfair to say that he is out of form on the basis of two innings. He has already scored a hundred in this series. How many players have got a hundred in the series?”
Sharma also disagreed with batting legend Sunil Gavaskar’s advice for Kohli to follow Sachin Tendulkar’s approach from the 2004 Sydney Test, where he scored 241, and avoid playing the cover drive.
“Sunil Gavaskar has been a great player, and his suggestions are always welcomed, but I hope he suggests others also about their batting.”
Kohli’s childhood coach also rejected claims that technical flaws have affected the former Indian captain’s game. He mentioned that he has spoken to Kohli but chose not to share the details of their conversation with PTI.
“Nothing to do with the technique or even the mind. He is mature enough and understands the game. We have been talking to each other and talked something that I wouldn’t say in public. But he is a mature enough player and knows where he is going wrong. He will bounce back, and you’ll see that in the series itself,” Sharma added.
Virat Kohli’s Test career is in decline
Although Kohli has displayed moments of brilliance in red-ball cricket, these have become rare in recent years. Since 2020, the right-handed batter has played 37 Tests, scoring 1,964 runs at an average of 186, with three centuries. In his 121st Test overall, he has accumulated 9,166 runs at an average of 47.49, including 30 centuries.
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