Sep 25, 2024 08:44 PM IST
Veteran Aussie spinner has advised Virat Kohli to get his mojo back and regain form in the next 10 Tests to give India a chance to claim their first WTC title.
Team India batting maestro Virat Kohli has been facing scrutiny for his underwhelming red-ball form in recent times. Kohli, who was once a force to reckon with the bat in Test cricket, now struggles to score big scores in the same format. The batting superstar has scored just 2 Test centuries since 2020, which is an alarming sign for Team India. His average has dropped below 50 as the opposition has started exploiting his weakness against outside-off deliveries against pacers and his struggle in front of the off-spinners. The Indian batting superstar has scored 1669 runs in the last 30 Tests at an underwhelming average of 32.72.
Veteran Australia spinner Brad Hogg has advised Kohli to get his mojo back and regain form in the next 10 Test matches to give India a chance to claim their first World Test Championship title. Kohli has scored 392 runs in 5 matches in the ongoing World Test Championship cycle.
“No, I think Virat Kohli should play out these next 10 Test matches over the next 15 weeks. See how he goes there. But he does have to improve. He has to lift his game. He’s got to get that consistency again. If India are going to have a chance at winning the World Test Championship, here at number four is crucial,” Hogg said on his YouTube Channel.
India definitely need Virat Kohli to step up and play his role
Hogg suggested that a number four batter plays a big role in the red-ball format to control the innings with other batters in the middle order and then switch foot on the accelerator while batting alongside the lower order.
“Number four is a vital position. It’s a position where you can control the game, you can bat through the latter part of the innings, and with the explosive batting that they’ve got in that middle order, they definitely need Virat Kohli to really step up and play his role with the bat, batting through the innings right to the end,” he added.
The veteran Aussie spinner feels that if Kohli doesn’t regain his form, the selectors might consider replacing him with a young batter.
“If he can do that, then India will be very hard to beat in this World Test Championship. But he’s got to start performing, otherwise, selectors are going to have to start thinking about whether they go for youth moving forward or they give you more opportunities,” he added.
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