Virat Kohli’s form in focus for Agarkar ahead of WI v Ind series

Former team India pacer stress on the importance of Virat Kohli rediscovering his mojo on the show “Game Plan” on Star Sports

Virat Kohli ever since he broke into the Indian Cricket Team has always been the blue-eyed boy, particularly in the ODI format. The Chase Master has been winning matches for India with his batting for over a decade now. All was going well till the year 2020 happened, which was the first year where he did not score a hundred (after scoring his 1st hundred). Kohli has been on a lean patch since then, scoring runs at 41.08 in the last two years. His numbers are quite remarkable for any other batter but for someone with a career average of 58+, it is quite an aberration.

As a result, Ajit Agarkar on the show “Game Plan” on Star Sports raised concerns around the form of Virat Kohli, and his lack of match-winning knocks in the recent past.

"Virat Kohli's form is a concern, but we all know what a player he is. So, hopefully, he discovers his form sooner rather than later," he said.

The way the ODI game is evolving, the top 3 batters hold a lot of value in the construction of the innings. Virat who owns the number 3 spot, hasn’t been at his best and not converting good starts into bigger scores. And this could be a worrisome looming cloud for the new captain Rohit Sharma.

"We talk about different combinations before- Virat Kohli would be a key factor because of the kind of the player that he is, but at the moment he isn't at his best, which is a fact and the quicker he discovers his form it's going to be that much easier for Rohit Sharma to then manage that thing because of what he can do on his own, Virat Kohli," he added.

India now have lost 3 out of their 4 ODI series (with full strength side) and the scrutiny after a meek surrender of 3-0 in South Africa is just building pressure on the Team Management. And Kohli scoring big runs can solve a huge problem and help the team build to the 2023 WC.

"At the end of the day you're only as successful as your team is and if you don't win, it eventually doesn't matter how great a player you are out on the field, it's not enjoyable playing in the team," remarked Ajit.

Only time will tell if the fortune for one of India’s best ODI batter change this series.