'You've earned the right to fail': Warner reserves highest words of praise for Kohli, has his say on Virat's lean patch

Warner urged critics to empathise with Kohli saying that all cricketers are going through a bubble life and that he has just had a baby.

A lot people have had their say on Virat Kohli's ongoing lean patch, the highlighting stat of which has been his century drought of 777 days in international cricket. But fellow cricketer and Australian opener David Warner reserved the ultimate praise for the Indian Test captain, urging critics to “understand his situation”.

David Warner and Virat Kohli (BCCI)

Talking to journalist Boria Majumdar on Backstage with Boria, Warner gave his opinion on Kohli's poor run of form in international cricket, saying that the veteran Indian batsman has earned the right to fail and go through a rough trot after achieving so much in the sport. He then urged critics to empathise with Kohli saying that all cricketers are going through a bubble life and that he has just had a baby.

“A lot of people talk about Virat Kohli's form over the last couple of years. We have gone through a pandemic. He has just had a baby. We only see how well he has done. You are allowed to fail. You are allowed to fail. You have earned the right to fail when you are so good at what you do. People say Steve Smith doesn't score a century in his fourth innings because stats say he scores a century every four innings. He is human. You are allowed to have a rough trot. That is why there are a lot more pressure on those guys. But would not feel the pressure, I guarantee that,” Warner said.

Kohli is presently part of the Test series against South Africa where the Dean Elgar-led home team have levelled the series with a seven-wicket win in Johannesburg.

Kohli had missed the Test match owing to an upper back spasm following which KL Rahul was named as the captain. The 33-year-old is expected to return for the third and final Test match in Cape Town which begins from January 11.

Warner, on the other hand, is presently part of the Ashes series at home where the Pat Cummins-led Australian side have taken an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-Test series.