Virat Kohli is slowly but steadily regaining clarity of thought when it comes to being decisive about his batting in the Indian Premier League without the responsibility of captaincy, according to former India head coach Ravi Shastri.
Ravi Shastri, who worked closely with Virat Kohli as the senior national cricket team’s head coach and team manager, claimed that bio-bubbles generated by the Covid-19 outbreak make it easy for even outstanding sportsmen to get trapped in a rut, and that Kohli has lacked clarity in the recent past.
According to Kohli, the former World Cup-winning all-rounder showed indications of regaining clarity of thought in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s IPL 2022 opener against Punjab Kings. Kohli, who stepped down as RCB captain at the end of the IPL 2021 season, got off to a flying start in the new season, slamming a 29-ball 41 against Punjab Kings and dominating the spinners, something Kohli had been lacking in recent IPL seasons.
Kohli’s quickfire knock, as Shastri points out, was marked by conviction and decisiveness, with two sixes and a boundary. Kohli was bowled while chasing a wide delivery from Umesh Yadav on Wednesday against Kolkata Knight Riders, despite getting off to a promising start in RCB’s second game of the season.
“Clutter You may get into a rut when you’re in bubbles, when you’re going through a pattern that cricket hasn’t seen in 40-50 years. “There isn’t the clarity of idea that there used to be,” Shastri told Star Sports.
“Now that the captaincy is no longer a burden. He is now free to think for himself and not be concerned with anything else. We saw glimpses of it in the previous game, so it’s possible that clarity of thought may return.
“When you’re looking to do anything, you want to be completely focused.” He’ll do it once he has that certainty,” he continued. Elaborating on his dismissal in Wednesday’s win over KKR, Shastri said Kohli could have easily left alone the delivery from Umesh Yadav that led to his dismissal and played the waiting game, considering RCB were chasing only 129.
After a strong bowling performance, RCB limited KKR to 128 runs. In the third over, though, KKR pacers Umesh Yadav and Trent Boult ran through the top-order, reducing them to 17 for 3. Due to performances from David Willey, Sherfane Rutherford, Shahbaz Ahmed, and Dinesh Karthik, RCB made it to the finish line despite Kohli and Faf du Plessis’ early exits.
“You’ll take a seat and ask him, ‘What were you attempting to accomplish?'” It’s possible he should have just left it on a pitch with so much potential (to the bowlers). He had a fantastic start. In the five minutes he spent at the crease, he looked like a million bucks. He explained, “I believe it was due to a lack of attention.”
“I believe (the firing) was based on a lack of attention.” Your hands are moving away from your body and toward the ball. In a better time, on another day, you would have probably left it alone.
“You would have sat and waited for the bowlers to attack,” Shastri said after RCB’s thrilling win in Mumbai. “He could afford to play the waiting game because he was batting second and you were chasing only 129.”
Published By : Ankit Singh
Edited By : Khushi Thakur
