AB de Villiers, South African batting great, has suggested a solution to his ex-RCB teammate and India batter Virat Kohli for his woes for balls outside the off-stump. Kohli’s weakness was exploited by Australian bowlers at will during the BGT 2024 series, that India lost 1-3.
Despite scoring a century in the opening match of the series, Kohli failed to maintain consistency in the subsequent games, with Australia repeatedly targeting his weakness outside off-stump. Throughout the series, the star batter was removed eight out of nine times with deliveries outside the off-stump.
Speaking in a live show on his X account, De Villiers backed the Indian star to overcome the shortcoming, noting that he, too, battled with some deliveries during his playing career.
"Of course, he can. Every single batter in the world has got some sort of weakness. For me, it was the straight ball hitting my pads. Even towards the back end of my career and in the form of my life, all the experience that I needed to go out and score runs.
I remember a series against England. I started off well and scored runs in Durban, everything was brilliant. Then I ran into James Anderson and Stuart Broad with the new ball," said De Villiers during live interaction on his X.
De Villiers went on to remark that the problem with Kohli is that he is so immersed in the game and anxious about his performance for the team that he forgets to reset his mind. The former Proteas captain said that the Indian star should refocus himself after each delivery.
"It takes a lot of character, a lot of hunger, a lot of hours in the nets. I think the thing is to reset your mind, every time. I think with Virat, he gets involved with the battle on the field. That's one of his biggest strengths and it can also be a weakness. During this series, we saw him have individual battles with some of the players, the crowd got under his skin.
Virat loves the fight, but when you're not in the form of your life, it's best to get rid of those things. As a batter, it is to reset every single and realize every ball is an event and just forget about the bowler. I think sometimes Virat forgets about that because of his fighting spirit and the nature of the man wanting to be involved and show the whole of India he is there to fight for them. The skill, experience, and greatness of the guy are not an issue. It's about the refocus after every single ball. Maybe sometimes he gets too involved,” De Villiers added.
Virat Kohli ended BGT 2024 with 190 runs despite a century in the Perth Test at an average of 23.75.
(India Today inputs)
