‘Virat can't be dropped straightaway’ - Nehra says Kohli deserves extra chances based on his reputation

There have been growing question marks over Virat Kohli's future in the T20I format. Not long ago, the 33-year-old was among the untouchables on the Indian side. Such has been King Kohli's downfall that his place in the 2022 T20I World Cup squad is being questioned.

The emergence of Suryakumar Yadav and Deepak Hooda, combined with Kohli's struggles, has left the number three batting spot up for grabs. In the recently concluded T20I series against England, Virat Kohli could score just 12 runs in two matches.

Kohli's recent form has led former cricketers, including 1983 World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev to question his place in the T20I side. However, former Indian pacer Ashish Nehra has come out in support of the under-fire batter.

Ashish Nehra believes that a player of Kohli's reputation cannot be instantly dropped from the side. He added that the batter's past exploits at least warrant him a couple of extra chances. The retired pacer advises his former teammate to block the outside noise and focus on his game.

"There will be discussions even if you're not a player of Kohli's calibre. When you are playing, you try to focus on your game and not listen to so-called 'outside voices' from people outside the dressing room," said Nehra.

"Yes, it's not written anywhere that he will keep playing for India even if he doesn't score runs. But when you have done so much in the past, you will always get extra chances," said Nehra to Sony Sports.

Virat Kohli missed the first ODI against England due to a groin injury, and doubts remain over his participation in the second ODI at Lord's.

Ashish Nehra added that a player like Virat Kohli is rarely injured, and the former skipper wants to get back to scoring runs. Given their popularity with the fans, the retired pacer believes that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will always attract a lot of attention.

"A player like Virat can score in any format. It's rare to find him injured but it can happen to any player. Also, fans expect runs from Virat and he himself wants to return to form. Much of the discussion about the Indian team revolves around Virat. All-format players like Virat and Rohit will always attract discussions on their numbers," said Nehra.