Former India coach Ravi Shastri talked about a stunning fact that he came across regarding Virat Kohli which is not often brought up with the former India captain compared with his contemporaries like Babar Azam, David Warner, Kane Williamson, and Joe Root.
Of these star batters, only Virat Kohli seems to have fallen behind in the pecking order. The former India captain has been struggling for form lately, which has seen a massive increase in the statistics of his contemporaries.
Kohli has not scored a century in international cricket since November 2019 and in the last year or so, he has struggled to reach the 50-run mark as well in all three formats.
Weighing in on the topic, former India coach Ravi Shastri recalled a 'shocking' stat about Kohli that he came across during the rescheduled fifth Test between India and England.
"Sometimes, it is important that when we talk about this rest and all that. Later on, you realise that when you are back in the media, you are doing all television, and people come out with stat. One stat that emerged during a Test match against England, which shocked me, really. It said that in the last three years when you look at the top players in the world, that is [Kane] Williamson, David Warner, Babar Azam, Virat Kohli, and Joe Root, Virat had played three times the number of games as everyone else across all cricket," Shastri said in a press conference organized by Star Sports.
"So, it shocked me where he was at about 950 games and that next was at 400. They had played less than half. When you are the captain of a side, playing all three formats, it takes a toll. And it would have sucked whatever out of him. And that's why the break might just help him come around and do wonders,” he added.
Shastri and Kohli worked together for more than 5 years in the Indian team and the veteran former cricketer has seen Kohli from close quarters. He is confident that the star India batter will come back to his best. He feels that in terms of fitness, there is no Indian cricketer above Kohli and that for his age, he is a machine.
Asia Cup 2022: Sanjay Bangar points out the challenges in front of Rohit Sharma for Asia Cup
"People keep saying... it's often used that one or two innings can make a difference. But with a player like this, it can make a massive difference because he has got the fitness, he has got the physical strength. The performance will get the mental strength back and the hunger and passion remain undiminished. Let me assure you that," said Shastri.
"He is hungry, passionate and must have learned from this patch that he has gone through. All players do. When you are suddenly on the rise right at the pinnacle of your career and then have a slump which brings you right down, then it's your character that makes you get up and stand and fight again,” he signed off.
(Star Sports inputs)
