Virat Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma said it was shocking news for him too to see his ward drop to the fifth spot in the latest ICC Test rankings for batsmen. The Indian skipper has not enjoyed the best of form in the ongoing Test series against England and has been raring to end his century drought in the longest format of the game.
Kohli was ranked fourth in the Test rankings ahead of the start of the England Test series. However, he dropped to fifth after managing scores of 0,42 and 20 in the first two Tests against England. He was removed on a duck in India’s first innings in the series-opener in Nottingham and didn’t get a chance to bat in the second innings. The Indian skipper then notched up 42 and 20 runs in the two innings of the second Test at Lord’s.
Kohli’s inconsistent run coupled with England skipper Joe Root’s heroics with the bat saw him drop out of the top four. Root, on the other hand, closed the gap on top-ranked Kane Williamson as he moved to the second spot with back-to-back centuries in the first two games.
Kohli’s childhood coach Sharma was asked about Kohli’s drop in form and his ouster from the top four of ICC Test rankings. He said it was shocking news for him too as he expected Root to move ahead of the Indian captain but didn’t expect Kohli to drop out of the top four.
“It is shocking news for me too that Virat Kohli has fallen to the fifth spot. I was expecting that Joe Root would have probably gone ahead of him. I will definitely talk to him,” Sharma said during an interview on India News.
However, he insisted Kohli is in the right space of mind as far as his batting is concerned and doesn’t need anybody to motivate him. Sharma, who had mentored Kohli as a kid, said the Indian skipper has always loved challenges, and getting ahead of Root in the rankings will be something he would be looking to do in the upcoming matches.
“I don’t feel there is any need to motivate him because he is extremely motivated. When I had spoken to him after the last match as well, he was quite excited and was happy that they had won and was not too worried about his runs. When he has such an attitude, a big hundred is about to come,” said Kohli’s childhood coach.
Kohli last scored a Test ton against Bangladesh in November 2019 and has since been trying to bring an end to his century drought. The Indian skipper will be hoping to put on a better show with the bat in the third Test against England in Leeds starting from August 25.
