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Cricket PlayersIndia vs New Zealand: ‘He is also human’ - Chief selector MSK Prasad launches passionate defense of Virat Kohli
IND vs NZ: Virat Kohli could score only one half-century across 11 innings in the all the three formats and the lack of runs in the Test series was one of the biggest factors behind team’s struggle.
Indian cricket team chief selector MSK Prasad jumped to the defence of under-fire captain Virat Kohli after the visitors succumbed to a heavy 2-0 defeat in the recently-concluded Test series against New Zealand. Skipper Kohli failed with to lit up the tour with the bat and saw his team getting blanked in both ODI and Test series respectively. He could score only one half-century across 11 innings across three formats and the lack of runs in the Test series was one of the biggest factors behind team’s struggle.
Also Read: ‘When you cross 30, it affects your eyesight’: Kapil on Kohli’s struggles
“We are talking about a legend who has been a run-machine for many years,” Prasad was quoted as saying by ANI. “He is also a human and he can have one odd series where he doesn’t perform. One series should not go against him, he has been a phenomenal player.”
Earlier, former India captain Kapil Dev stated that Kohli’s poor run in New Zealand could be because his reflexes and eyesight might have slowed down and hence, he now needs to go back and practice more against the straight deliveries.
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“When you reach a certain age, when you cross 30 then it affects your eyesight,” Kapil told ABP News. “In swings, which used to be his strength, he used to flick them four but now he has been dismissed twice. So I think he needs to adjust his eyesight a bit.”
“When big players start getting bowled or LBW to incoming deliveries then you have to tell them to practice more. It shows that your eyes and your reflexes have slowed down a bit and in no time your strengths turn into your weakness,” he added.
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Despite going through a torrid time, Kohli retained the second spot in latest ICC Test Rankings. Australia’s Steve Smith continued to reign supreme, holding a 25-point advantage over Kohli.