The pressure on Virat Kohli has been increasing as he sustains his subpar batting form. The requests to replace Kohli with younger options have increased as players like Deepak Hooda have impressed in Kohli’s position when the former India skipper was with the Test team or rested from the team.
In the T20I series against England, Kohli’s bad form persisted as he posted scores of 1 and 11, respectively, in the second and third games. Kohli attempted to be aggressive and take on the bowlers early in both games, but he was unable to hold down the crease for an extended period of time.
Former Indian cricketer, Sunil Gavaskar defends Kohli in the face of criticism from Kapil Dev on his weak performance in the test and T20I series against England. “I’m not worried about Virat Kohli’s place in the T20 World Cup, form is temporary class is permanent,” Gavaskar told Sports Tak.
Earlier this week, Kapil questioned why Kohli couldn’t be treated similarly in T20Is if Ravichandran Ashwin could be benched from Test matches. According to Kapil, Kohli’s spot in the T20I squad is not certain, and the team management should consider giving young, talented players more opportunities rather than relying on individual reputations.
Speaking to ABP News, Kapil told, “Yes, now the situation is such that you might be forced to bench Kohli from T20 playing eleven. If world No. 2 bowler Ashwin can be dropped from the Test side, then (once upon a time) world No. 1 batter can also be dropped.”
“Virat is not batting at a level which we have seen him do over the years. He has made a name because of his performances, but if he isn’t performing, then you can’t keep the performing youngsters out of the team,” Kapil added.
