Former India head coach Ravi Shastri believes Virat Kohli needs a break to get back his lost form. Shastri’s comments came after the former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain got out for a golden duck against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Tuesday.

The talismanic run-scorer has been through a rocky patch in international cricket and it has continued in the ongoing IPL 2022.  He is yet to register a half-century in the seven matches he has played with the highest score being 48. He has been under immense scrutiny in the past 15 months.

Ravi Shastri, who has been Virat Kohli from close quarters in the last couple of years, feels the 33-year-old batter needs to be extremely careful about his future. The 1983 World Cup winner also stated that Kohli needs a break from all forms of the game to rejuvenate himself.

When I was coach at the time when this first started, the first thing I said is ‘you have to show empathy to the guys’. If you’re going to be forceful, there is a very thin line there, from a guy losing the plot as opposed to him hanging in there and giving his best. So you have to be extremely careful,” Ravi Shastri told Star Sports in the post-match show.

“I am going straight to the main guy here. Virat Kohli is overcooked. If anyone needs a break, it’s him. Whether it’s 2 months or a month-and-a-half, whether it’s after England or before England,” he added. 

Virat Kohli has gone without scoring a century since November 2019. His numbers are also quite below given the gargantuan standards he has set for himself in the last decade. This is also the first time his ODI average has gone below 50 in the last few years.

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“You need to address the problem upfront” – Ravi Shastri on Virat Kohli

With the runs hard to come by, the former Indian captain has tried too many things to get off the blocks. Besides, he has been unlucky at times as well with a couple of decisions going against him. Ravi Shastri feels with 6-7 years of international cricket left, Kohli needs to make the most out of it.

“He needs a break because he has got 6-7 years of cricket left in him and you don’t want to lose that with a fried brain. He is not the only one. There might be 1 or 2 in world cricket going through the same. You need to address the problem upfront,” Shastri added.

At present, Virat Kohli’s immediate aim will be to hit the straps and complete the puzzle that will make RCB one of the strongest contenders to win IPL 2022.

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