Renowned commentator Harsha Bhogle has one simple piece of advice to Virat Kohli and the Royal Challengers Bangalore: “relax and remind him he is a great player”.
RCB‘s talisman cricketer Kohli, who once used to churn out runs like a machine, has found it difficult to get off the blocks in his last three innings. After being dismissed for consecutive golden ducks, Kohli managed just 9 runs against Rajasthan Royals, taking his season total to only 128 runs at an average of 16 – his worst season average since 2008.
Good vibes in the camp
@RCBTweets pic.twitter.com/rTTPHdoDzx
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) April 22, 2022
Speaking on Cricbuzz, Harsha Bhogle said that although there’s isn’t much he could tell Kohli but to keep his mind calm and just keep backing himself for the next big score could be just the next innings away.
“Virat Kohli became great because he understands the game and he is a certain kind of a player. I have absolutely no idea- other than just tell Virat Kohli to relax and remind him he is a great player and just keep backing him, make him feel good. Keep backing him and hope that at some point the fine-tuning happens,” Bhogle told Cricbuzz.
After the back-to-back golden ducks, Kohli and RCB decide to open with him, which has been his best position in the IPL.
However, the 33-year-old played a really scratchy knock against Boult and Prasidh Krishna; he almost got caught on the third ball and had a couple of streaky fours before inside-edging a couple of more times. His luck finally ran out when he mistimed a pull off Krishna, aiming for deep square leg boundary but finding the point fielder!
Another game
Another win
Onwards & Upwards— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) April 19, 2022
Speaking on such a terrible knock from Kohli, Bhogle said: “At one point, we said could this early moment of luck be just what Kohli needed? But, in a short innings, Kohli got inner edges that missed the stumps, so, definitely, it is a worry. He is just not able to get away in the Powerplay. I think Faf (du Plessis) was honest about it upfront when he said ‘all players go through this but the greats find a way back’ and we thought rather the best way Kohli just sitting there and waiting for his turn, we thought what was best for him was to come up and open the batting.”
