Does Virat Kohli have a technical problem? VVS Laxman analyzes Indian captain's game

Veteran Indian batter VVS Laxman has shared his views on Virat Kohli’s poor form with the bat in Test cricket with the skipper among the few senior players who haven't scored a hundred in over a year.

The Indian skipper is one of the best batters the game has witnessed but he has failed to reach the three-figure mark in the last two years with his previous hundred coming against Bangladesh in a day/night match at Eden Gardens in November 2019. It was Kohli’s 70th international century and the player was in fine form which led people to believe he would soon break Sachin Tendulkar’s record of hundred centuries but the Indian skipper has not scored a ton since.

The fans have been eagerly waiting for Kohli to make a comeback and every time he comes at the crease the hopes of him scoring a century rises. The same was expected of him in the ongoing IND vs NZ Test match 2nd Test at the Wankhede Stadium where Kohli’s record has been incredible. However, the batter was dismissed for a duck in the first innings by Ajaz Patel and then on 36 by Rachin Ravindra.

There have been concerns raised over his form and over his abilities as a batsman. However, VVS Laxman feels that there is no technical issue in Kohli’s game and just needs to be patient. In a conversation with Star Sports, Laxman pointed out that Kohli is a technically sound and compact batsman and nothing is wrong with his mindset.

"It’s not about the mindset. The fact of the matter is, till the time Virat Kohli is on the crease, everyone thinks ‘today is the match, today is the innings where he is going to get that 3-figure score’. Till the time, he is in the middle, he is in complete control. It happened in a couple of matches in England. It happened in Adelaide where he was dominating the Australian attack before being run out by Ajinkya Rahane. Even today, the shot that he played was unfortunate, the ball came very slow, there was an inside edge and he got bowled," said Laxman.

Virat Kohli needs to be patient and try to play a long innings, believes VVS Laxman

VVS Laxman further added that there is no particular weakness or pattern in which Kohli is getting dismissed. Laxman believes that the Indian skipper needs to be patient and try to play a long inning.

"I just think he has to wait patiently. If there is a pattern in the way he is getting dismissed, when he is out there in the middle if he is struggling to time the ball, if he is struggling to get on top of the ball, then it’s a problem. I don’t think he has that problem. I just think it’s about him going out and playing a long inning and once that long inning comes, once he gets to that milestone, we all know what Virat Kohli can do,” added Laxman.

Image: PTI/AP