The way he played in the practice match, he’s ticking all the right boxes: Rahul Dravid

As we know, Virat Kohli has been going through a torrid phase in Test cricket for quite a while now. Statistically, Kohli averages just 28.03 in 17 Tests since 2020, which signifies his horrendous run in red-ball cricket in the last two years.   

Also, Kohli was absolutely ordinary in the recently concluded IPL, averaging mere 22.73 and striking at an abysmal rate of 115.99 in the mega-event. 

The prolonged poor run of the former Indian captain has prompted the fans to allege him of losing intrinsic motivation. However, the Indian head coach Rahul Dravid has recently dismissed such assumptions. 

Addressing the media ahead of the fifth Test, Dravid argued that Virat doesn’t need to be motivated externally and termed him as the most hardworking Indian cricketer he has ever seen. 

Dravid, who represented India in 509 international matches, regarded Kohli as an inspiring figure in the dressing room and also expressed his satisfaction over the Delhi-born batter’s performance in the warm-up game against Leicestershire.  

He's an inspiring figure in the dressing room: Dravid speaks on Kohli's stature

“I don’t think he needs motivation”, Dravid said. “I disagree with you when you say he is on the wrong side of his 30s. He’s the most hard-working guy I have come across. He inspires a lot of people in the dressing room. The way he played in the practise match, he’s ticking all the right boxes,” the former Indian captain added. 

To note, Virat Kohli hasn’t registered a single international century since the start of 2020. His last Test ton came in India’s first-ever day/night home Test against Bangladesh back in November 2019.  

Nevertheless, Dravid didn’t seem to be much concerned about Kohli’s century drought. Considering such rough phases as natural in every cricketer’s career, the legendary batter from Karnataka stressed that although people often consider hitting a hundred as a hallmark of success, the Indian think tank would be happy if Virat plays a small, yet impactful knock for the team.  

“You go through such phases and it’s not about focusing on those three figures. People see hundred as a success, but we want match-winning contributions from him,” the 49-year-old concluded.