After being the most consistent player across formats in international cricket for more than a decade and making a habit of scoring centuries, Kohli’s fortunes have changed for the worse in the last few years. In fact, the ex-Indian captain has not scored an international century for almost three years.
The last time Kohli reached the three-figure mark was in a Test match against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Since then, Kohli has gone more than 1,000 without raising his bat to celebrate a century as his wait for the elusive 71st international continues to stretch longer.
In recent times, Kohli’s form with the bat has become a source of concern with a string of low scores. His poor performance in the series against England put his place in the T20 World Cup under doubt. However, AB de Villiers has backed Kohli to get back in the runs during the upcoming Asia Cup.
De Villiers explained that he and Kohli are regularly in touch with each other and claimed that they are good friends. The duo played together at the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for more than a decade in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
“Virat [Kohli] is one of the greatest cricketers ever to play the game. Form is temporary, class is permanent. Virat remains world-class. Virat and I remain in regular contact. We are friends, and he certainly does not need me to tell him the importance of working hard during a bad patch,” said De Villers in an interaction with NDTV.
Kohli will be next seen in action in the upcoming Asia Cup after being rested for the West Indies and Zimbabwe series. India will open their campaign in the continental showpiece event against Pakistan on Sunday (August 28) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
