File photo of Virat Kohli© Twitter
Virat Kohli‘s long lean patch with the bat has led many to say that he may not be an automatic choice in the Indian T20I team any more. The star batter has not scored a century since 2019, and his slump with the bat has become the talk of the town. While some experts have suggested that Kohli should take a break from international cricket, others have voiced their support for the 33-year-old former India captain. Speaking to NDTV, in an exclusive interview, former Australia spinner Brad Hogg feels that T20 cricket has disrupted Kohli’s goals in the last two years.
Answering a question on where does Kohli fit into the team, Hogg replied: “It is an interesting question, and this is where the selectors must take a tough decision, absolutely to know the game. I think Kohli, his goals have been disrupted in the last couple of years because when he first started, he would have been looking up at a section on one day records and test records.
“That’s the benchmark of what me mean, an international player or how a batter should be. And as T20 cricket has come in, it has disrupted those goals so he’s trying to figure it out about where he wants his batting to be and what goals he wants to achieve. With him, his game has started focusing on the longer format and to change for the T20 format he doesn’t want to disrupt that technique .But when he plays T20 cricket , he’s talking about international techs, where he plays an (unclear) game, and a defensive shot becomes a time shot which made offs or made on to a six. So, he has got the ability to do it. Can he form that? That will be the big question.”
The focus will be on Kohli once again as India take on England in the third and final ODI at the Old Trafford in Manchester on Sunday.
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The series is tied at 1-1 after England’s 100-run win in the second ODI.
He will not be a part of India’s squad for the upcoming ODI and T20I series against West Indies, beginning July 22.
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