Former India coach Ravi Shastri has predicted that Virat Kohli is going to have a purple patch very soon in his Test career after the end of day four of the WTC 2023 Final on Saturday. India is chasing a record target of 444 to win the match and the Test Championship mace.

India finished day four on 164/3 with Virat Kohli unbeaten on 44 and Ajinkya Rahane on 20 runs. Before them, Rohit Sharma made 43, Shubman Gill scored 18 and Cheteshwar Pujara made 27 runs before getting out.

All eyes will be on Virat Kohli as he is coming off a very good IPL where he scored more than 600 runs with two centuries to his name.

Speaking to Star Sports, Shastri said that Kohli looked fluent on Saturday and looked too close to how he was a few years ago. Shastri feels Kohli is on a roll at the moment and a purple patch isn't far away for him.

"He looked very fluent today. I do believe he is close to what he was three years ago. He went through a patch where things weren't going his way. But this is more the Kohli that I know. There's fluency, and balance. The feet are moving in the right direction.

He has played the spinners well. He has had a time when he has played the fast bowlers. What I like is that there was a period in his play where every short ball, he wanted to get after. As if to send a message to the opposition, I'm coming after you,” Shastri said.

"Now, when he has started leaving deliveries, getting out of the way, he has realized that eliminating high-risk shots is very important if you want to play the big innings. He is on a roll and I keep saying this, the way he is batting, it won't be long before Kohli starts stringing scores one after the other. Whether it happens tomorrow or doesn't happen tomorrow, but there is going to be a time very soon where there's going to be a purple patch,” he added.

"He is again getting there with the technique, with the way he was three years ago, where he could get five or six hundred very quickly," said Shastri signed off.

(Star Sports inputs)