'Felt very good hearing Kohli is not going to Windies because...': Nehra's big statement on India star being given rest

Virat Kohli was given rest for the tour of West Indies, that includes three ODIs and five T20Is.

Virat Kohli's exclusion from the team which will tour the West Indies for a 5-match T20I series has created a wave of debate and discussion regarding what this means for his part in the team in the future, and how it might influence his form without the ability to play a number of matches at a stretch. Notable pundits and former cricketers have taken sides at either end of this debate — Ashish Nehra, former Indian pacer and now a coach with the Gujarat Titans in the IPL, argues that Kohli could make good use of this time even if he's not actively playing cricket.

Virat Kohli (Action Images via Reuters)

Speaking on Sony Sports after the second ODI against England, Nehra used his platform to deliver a message to Kohli. "I will say one match is left after this, you are not going to the West Indies, and you probably need this break as well. I will say the three-four weeks in between, take a backseat and think about what you need to do in the future and then come back."

Kohli has struggled for runs on the tour of England, falling early in both innings of the Edgbaston Test, and failing to reach 20 in his three limited overs innings. This comes on the back off a sub-par IPL in which he looked very unlike himself.

"You are talking about a player like Virat Kohli, the runs are not getting scored at all at the moment. When you are scoring runs, you keep on playing continuously, especially if you are a young player. Here you are talking about an experienced player," argued Nehra.

Nehra advocated for Kohli using this time to go back to basics and rework his batting, rather than doubling down and continuing to do things incorrectly. "He is not the sort of player who, if he keeps on playing, runs will be scored some time at least. To be very honest, I felt very good hearing that he is not going on the West Indies tour because if there is any chance of scoring runs, it is probably a break, more practice, some change in the technique, what all you can do."

"You can only think about what you have to do in the future if you give yourself time. If you keep on playing back to back, sometimes there is a problem," concluded Nehra. Kohli has been an all-format star for India for several years, and this lean patch means his batting is getting affected in all three. However, a return to top form would be something all Indian fans are hoping for.

Kohli will return to action with India for the third and decisive ODI against England at Old Trafford in Manchester, and everyone will want Kohli to get some runs under his belt and return to the quality everyone is aware he is capable of.