Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri has come out in support of Virat Kohli ahead of the upcoming Asia Cup 2022. The batting maestro has been going through a terrible patch with the bat this year as he has been struggling to score runs. Virat Kohli’s last century came against Bangladesh in November 2019 after which the infamous century drought began for him.
He even failed to produce some big knocks in the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League and during the England tour. Virat Kohli, who had stepped out of the captaincy responsibilities earlier this year, has also missed several series this year in order to manage the workload.
Kohli is all set to return to competitive cricket with the upcoming 2022 edition of the Asia Cup. He is going through a transitional phase and is expected to embrace a new fearless approach in the shortest format of the game. However, his form has become a grave concern for the Indian cricket team.
Ravi Shastri, who shared a great bond with the former Indian captain, feels that all big players have gone through the same phase. He also said that Kohli had time to reflect on the things which didn’t work in his favor. He said:
“I haven’t spoken to him but it’s not rocket science. Big players wake up in due course. They need a break; mental fatigue can creep in to the best in the world. There is a not a single player in world cricket who has not gone through a bad patch and I am sure this downtime is not just for the body, it’s time to reflect. He would have reflected as to what things he could have done better,”
He added:
“What he didn’t do right? What things he did absolutely right and should keep focussing on that. What he allowed to come into his mindset that was just not required or relevant? All these things come into play. You get an opportunity to then decide, what is the future course of action. Whether it is shot selection, or it is how you plan, when to shift gears, should I give himself more time. And now it is time for him to execute those plans,”
Further, the former Indian head coach backed Virat Kohli to bounce back and said that he will enter the upcoming tournament with a calmer mind and a half-century in the opening game will shut the mouth of his critics. He said:
“He will come back with a calmer mind, because the heat is off. You have been away. Now, what you do will get the tone. He gets a fifty in the very first game, mouths will be shut for the rest of the tournament. What’s happened in the past is history. Remember, public memory is very short. So it works both ways. His opportunity here is to get that calmness and then take it one day at a time,”
