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It has been a silent season for Virat Kohli with the bat. The former Indian skipper had a dreadful tour to Australia with just 190 runs in 5 Test matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The horror-show with the bat continued as he could only score 6 runs in his return to his hometown, Delhi to play a Ranji Trophy match against the Railways. Following that, the 36-year-old missed out on ODI action in Nagpur. But not much has changed upon his return as he was dismissed yet again on a score of just 5 runs in the Cuttack ODI. Amidst rising concern over his form and questions over his position in the Indian team, former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga has come out in support of Kohli and asked to leave Kohli out of the spotlight.
Arjuna Ranatunga wants Virat Kohli to decide on his future
Former Sri Lankan captain and 1996 World Cup winner Ranatunga believes that the continuous spotlight on Kohli is unnecessary and unwarranted. He feels that the star batter should be given the space and freedom to make his own decisions regarding his future without excessive scrutiny. According to Ranatunga, constant speculation and pressure from the media and fans only add undue stress to a player of Kohli’s caliber. He emphasized that a cricketer of his experience knows what is best for his career and should be trusted to decide accordingly. Instead of relentless attention, Ranatunga suggests allowing Kohli the privacy and independence he deserves.
“For a player like Kohli who has scored so much of runs, I feel it’s best if that’s left to him. It’s a call that Kohli needs to take, so let him take it. Why always have the spotlight on him? It’s quite unnecessary, I feel. It’s his decision, so let him take that,” Ranatunga remarked while talking about Kohli on the Telegraph.
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Ranatunga advises Kohli to chat with legends of the game
Ranatunga also advised Kohli to seek guidance from cricketing legends like Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, or Rahul Dravid to overcome his poor run of form. The former Sri Lankan captain believes that the insights and experience of these stalwarts could prove invaluable in helping Kohli regain his touch.
“I think what Kohli needs to do is speak to people like Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar or a Rahul Dravid. That’s what he can do. They can certainly help him out,” Ranatunga further concluded.
Additionally, he also talked about Rohit Sharma‘s remarkable century against England in the 2nd ODI and elucidated that it was only a matter of one good innings for a player of his caliber to regain his form and make some runs for his country on a consistent basis.
