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‘A selector who can drop Virat Kohli is yet to be born in India’: Ex-Pakistan captain
While multiple reports did suggest that Kohli was rested after he requested the selectors for some time off but his current form with the bat has made many former cricketers believe that even if he is dropped, it is nothing to be surprised at. Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif, however, has a different take.
Was Virat Kohli dropped from India's T20I side against West Indies or was he rested? There was no official word on Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah's absence when BCCI announced the 18-member squad, which only gave rise to speculations. While multiple reports did suggest that Kohli was rested after he requested the selectors for some time off but his current form with the bat has made many former cricketers and experts believe that even if he is dropped, it is nothing to be surprised at. Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif, however, has a different take. “India mein wo selector paida nahi hua hai jo Virat (Kohli) ko drop kar sake (no selector in India can drop Virat Kohli),” said Rashid Latif during a chat with the YouTube channel ‘Caught Behind.’
The former wicketkeeper-batter said Virat, who still averages 38 in ODIs since 2019 ODI World Cup and has 10 fifties to his name, is being targetted.
"Virat ke kandhe pe bandhuk rakhke puri India ki team bach rahi rahi. (Virat is just a scapegoat for all other players' failure) You take a look at the 2019 World Cup, the last T20 World Cup. If Virat didn't perform then what did the others do?" Latif added.
Kohli, who made a comeback to the Indian XI after missing the first ODI due to a groin injury, was looking good till he was there but he once flashed a delivery outside off stump and got an outside edge for 16. Latif said the problem lies in Kohli's technique. The former India captain has a tendency to lunge forward and therefore when the ball is slightly short, he finds it difficult to keep his head balanced, said Latif.
"Kohli's problem is not mental, it's technical. You take a look at how he started the innings with a straight driver, an on drive and then played a cover drive. Watch the lengths of those deliveries, they were full, the ones Virat is comfortable with. But the one he got out to was pulled back and moved away. I believe that was a ball that should have been cut but Virat doesn't play that shot. He always puts his weight on the front foot. He obviously doesn't have any problem when the ball is pitched up but when it's short, his balance is not right. His momentum carries his body in front and naturally, he finds it difficult to adjust when the ball is slightly short and away from his eye-line. Batting coach Vikram Rathour and head coach Rahul Dravid have to work on that," he said.
