Virat Kohli’s struggles with the bat have been a hot topic for debate among the cricket fraternity, as the Indian batting icon’s performances in the 2024-25 season have been underwhelming.
Sunil Gavaskar, one of India’s greatest cricketing icons, suggested that Kohli take inspiration from Sachin Tendulkar’s disciplined 241 at Sydney, where the Master Blaster famously avoided the cover drive.
Rajkumar Sharma reacts to Sunil Gavaskar’s advice to struggling Virat Kohli
However, Sunil Gavaskar’s advice hasn’t sat well with Virat Kohli’s childhood coach, Rajkumar Sharma. He strongly defended his student by dismissing suggestions that star batter is out of form in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
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The well-known coach has pointed out Kohli’s overall performance in the ongoing five-match Test series in Australia, where he scored a century in the second innings of the first Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth to showcase his capabilities.
Rajkumar Sharma was quoted as saying by PTI: “Sunil Gavaskar has been a great player, and his suggestions are always welcomed, but I hope he suggests others also about their batting. He has been performing well since 2008. It would be unfair to say that he is out of form on the basis of two innings. He has already scored a hundred in this series. How many players have got a hundred in the series?”
Rajkumar Sharma dismisses concerns over Virat Kohli’s form
However, Virat Kohli’s recent stats tell a disappointing story. Since the start of the home Test series against Bangladesh, the Indian batters’ first-innings scores have averaged just over 9 runs across eight innings.
But despite this slump, Rajkumar Sharma expressed confidence in Kohli’s ability to bounce back, claiming his maturity and experience will help him overcome this rough phase. Sharma emphasized that judging the former Indian skipper based on a few innings would be unfair, given his history as one of India’s most consistent players across the globe.
The coach further noted, “To be honest, I didn’t know much about the stats, but the kind of player he is, he will bounce back. I think he is too good a player to be told anything and criticized because he has been the most consistent player in Indian cricket history.”
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Nothing to do with technique or even the mind: Virat Kohli’s childhood coach
On being asked whether mind or technique is troubling Kohli, Rajkumar Sharma stated, “Nothing to do with the technique or even the mind; he is mature enough and understands the game.”
Well, Kohli’s childhood coach recently talked with the dashing right-hander, but he refused to share details of his recent conversations. However, the coach assured that Virat is aware of the areas he needs to work on, and he has full faith in his resilience and skill to make a strong comeback.
He signed off by saying, “We’ve been talking to each other and talked about something that I wouldn’t say in public. But he is a mature enough player and knows where he is going wrong. He will bounce back, and you’ll see that in the series itself.”
Notably, the Gabba Test ended in a draw, and now both India and Australia will aim to take a lead in the Test series at the MCG when they face each other in the Boxing Day Test on December 26.
