Virat Kohli backed by Darren Gough to overcome his lean patch

Struggling Indian batter Virat Kohli scored just 11 and 20 across the two innings of the recently-concluded Edgbaston Test against England. 

Moreover, he continued his lean patch in the T20Is, managing just 1 and 11 in the two games he played against the hosts.

Seventy-seven innings have passed since then, but the cricketer has not registered a triple-figure score yet. His Test average has dropped below 50, and his prolonged lean patch has seen him drop out of ICC’s top 10 batting rankings in Tests and T20Is.

Despite the struggles, the batting maverick commands the admiration of the former English pacer Darren Gough. The former speedster believes Kohli was once on the path to the greatness of all-time legend Sachin Tendulkar and is currently going through the same rough patch in which Joe Root once found himself.

While speaking on Cricket.com, Gough said: “When I first saw him playing in England, I thought, WOW I thought Tendulkar was good. He was brilliant, a genius in fact, but this guy Virat Kohli is right up there with him.”

“I want him to get back scoring hundreds. We have seen Joe Root used to go through that spell a lot of 70s, 80s and 90s. But I feel that with Virat, once he gets one, he would just keep going hundred, hundred, hundred. And that’s what Joe Root has done. Virat is going though that spell and he just needs to score that first one and then he is going to cash in for the next 3-4 years”.

ENG vs IND 2022 updates

After the T20Is, Virat Kohli is also a part of the expanded Indian squadron for the ODI series against England. The first of the three matches will take place at The Oval in London on July 12, and the action will commence at 5:30 PM IST.

The subsequent two games will be played at Lord’s and Old Trafford on July 14 and 17, respectively.