Calls for Virat Kohli to be dropped from the Indian team are gaining momentum, with legends like Kapil Dev also suggesting that selection should be made on the basis of form. However, former Pakistan captain, Rashid Latif doesn’t feel any selector has the audacity to drop Kohli.
Making a rather bold statement on the situation of Kohli, Latif opined that Kohli is being made the scapegoat for the Indian cricket team’s struggles at the 2019 World Cup and the 2021 World Cup. It was because of the team’s failure in these events that the captaincy change in India took place, with Rohit Sharma replacing Virat Kohli in all three formats.
“India mein wo selector paida nahi hua hai jo Virat (Kohli) ko drop kar sake (no selector in India can drop Virat Kohli),” Latif said in a video posted on YouTube channel ‘Caught Behind.’
“Virat ke kandhe pe bandhuk rakhke puri India ki team bach rahi hai. (Virat is just being made a scapegoat for all other players’ failure) You take a look at the 2019 World Cup, the last T20 World Cup. If Virat didn’t perform then what did the others do?” he opined.
There’s no doubting that Kohli is going through the worst phase of his career. He hasn’t scored a century for more than two years and is failing to put up reasonable scores on the board on most occasions.
There are some who feel the 33-year-old’s struggles are all mental but Latif is of the opinion that the technical aspects of Kohli’s game are letting him down.
“Kohli’s problem is not mental, it’s technical. You take a look at how he started the innings with a straight drive, an on drive and then played a cover drive. Watch the lengths of those deliveries, they were full, the ones Virat is comfortable with. But the one he got out to was pulled back and moved away.
“I believe that was a ball that should have been cut but Virat doesn’t play that shot. He always puts his weight on the front foot. He obviously doesn’t have any problem when the ball is pitched up but when it’s short, his balance is not right. His momentum carries his body in front and naturally, he finds it difficult to adjust when the ball is slightly short and away from his eye-line. Batting coach Vikram Rathour and head coach Rahul Dravid have to work on that,” he said.
In the wake of the current situation, Kohli has decided to skip the West Indies series and take a break from the game. Though there’s a series against Zimbabwe after the West Indies assignment, Kohli might next be seen in action only at the Asia Cup 2022.
