Kapil Dev feels Virat Kohli is approaching a phase of his career where his reflexes and hand-eye coordination wouldn't be as quick as they used to be and hence the Indian skipper needs to combat that by practising hard.
Kohli, 31, had a disappointing tour of New Zealand where he looked off-colour during the T20Is and ODIs and struggled to counter the moving ball in Test matches.
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"When you reach a certain age, when you cross 30 then it affects your eyesight," Kapil told ABP news. "In swings, which used to be his strength, he (Kohli) used to flick them four but now he has been dismissed twice. So I think he needs to adjust his eyesight a bit."
"When big players start getting bowled or LBW to incoming deliveries then you have to tell them to practise more," he added. "It shows that your eyes and your reflexes have slowed down a bit and in no time your strengths turn into your weakness."
"From 18-24, your eyesight is at the optimum level but after that, it depends on how you work on it."
Historically, great batsmen have had phases like these at certain stages of their careers where they couldn't buy a run. But the sheer quality they possess eventually allows them to comeback with a bang.
"So Kohli needs to practise more. When your eyesight weakens then you have to tighten up your technique more. The same ball which he used pounce on so quickly, he's getting late on it now," stressed Kapil, who also reckons a bit of break before the IPL might help as Kohli can then turn up for Royal Challengers Bangalore without any mental baggage from this tour.
"I think IPL will help him. He will start getting the hang of it. He's a great cricketer, he will definitely realise it himself and make adjustments," the legendary all-rounder and 1983 World Cup winning captain added.
It remains to be seen whether Kohli will be rested for the home series against South Africa in March or not.
Proteas arrive here for a three-match ODI series, beginning March 12 in Dharamshala.
(Inputs from ABP news)
