Virat Kohli hasn’t hit a century since November 2019.
The owner of 70 international centuries, Kohli hasn’t hit a ton since November 2019. His failure during the England tour last month saw him receiving flak from the fans and former cricketers.
In fact, Indian cricket legends Kapil Dev and Virender Sehwag raised questions over his spot in the national side. With his place in the T20I side under scrutiny, Kohli was given a break from the recent tour of West Indies and Zimbabwe.
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However, the selection committee and the team management have shown faith in him, picking him for the Asia Cup 2022, slated to get underway on August 27.
Meanwhile, former cricketer Aakash Chopra has opined that Virat Kohli is no longer the player that he was three years ago, adding that the 'aura of invincibility' has gone and his presence in the middle doesn’t instill fear in bowlers’ minds anymore.
"There's no doubt in anyone's mind about Virat Kohli's class and his skills, and even if he doesn't score another run in international cricket from here on, he will still be regarded as one of the greatest to have played the game. A man who did superhuman things and mastered all three formats like almost no others," Chopra wrote in his column for ESPNCricinfo.
"Still, there's also no hiding from the fact that the bat that worked like a magic wand isn't obeying his commands anymore. There are more misses than hits. The aura of invincibility has faded and his presence doesn't instill the same fear in bowlers' minds as it used to earlier," he added.
Aakash Chopra also pointed out a couple of areas of concern that he believes are not helping the former India skipper.
"For the longest time, the only way to get back into form for a top player was to play as much cricket as possible, even if it meant playing at a slightly lower level. Everyone went through that drill till about a decade ago. But nowadays, poor form is followed by breaks from the game.
"I'm not an expert and won't pretend to be one but we really don't know whether that's the best approach towards regaining form and/or confidence. Times have changed and ways of dealing with issues like this might have changed too," he remarked.
The cricketer-turned-commentator then mentioned that Kohli is trying way too many things at the start of his innings.
"The second thing that changed with Kohli - and it only happened after he had not scored enough for a while - was his approach to starting new innings. The foundation of Kohli's batting was an absolute commitment to his method, in a manner that was almost robotic.
"But in the last couple of years he seems to have tried various approaches. So much so that you hardly remember what his foolproof old method was. He has gone very hard and he has gone very cautious too. I'm not saying that he has not followed his tried-and-tested method at all but that the deviations from that method have been too frequent," he added.
Chopra hopes the extended break helps Kohli to regain his peak form in the Asia Cup 2022, where India will open their campaign on August 28.
"Kohli has paid a huge price for his own success, which has included not only others judging him by the lofty standards that he set but also Kohli himself trying to replicate the player he was three years ago. You have almost been able to touch and feel his struggle, and there isn't a cricket lover who hasn't wished for it to end.
"Sport should be a source of joy, not agony, for player and viewer alike. We hope that the break he has taken does the trick and the bat becomes his wand again," he added.