Kapil Dev refuses to give advice to struggling Virat Kohli to come out of rut in Australia: ‘It is only up to him…’

Kapil Dev rated Virat Kohli as one of the top four batters to play for India and said it's up to him how to get over this rough patch.

Legendary India captain Kapil Dev has no advice for Virat Kohli, who needs to get his rhythm back for the Brisbane Test against Australia. Kohli showed great signs of form with a century in the second innings at Perth, but things went downhill for him in Adelaide. He struggled against pink-ball as the Aussie pacers exploited his weakness outside off-stump. The star batter was dismissed for 7 and 11 after edging the balls behind the stumps.

Indian batsman Virat Kohli walks back to the pavilion after his dismissal on the second day of the pink-ball Test.(AFP)

It has not been a very fruitful year for Kohli as a batter this year across all formats. He has scored 611 runs in 21 matches to his name, averaging 22.62 with a sole century and two fifties.

1983 WC-winning skipper rated Kohli as one of the top four batters to play for India and said it's up to him how to get over this rough patch.

"Virat Kohli is one of the best cricketers we have seen in our country. If you put top four batsmen, he will be there. If he is going through a rough time, it is only up to him how fast he can bounce back," Kapil told reporters while speaking about the Indian superstar.

The 36-year-old endured a rough patch in India's recent home Test season, scoring just a half-century in five matches against Bangladesh and New Zealand. He scored just 373 runs in the Test this year, averaging just 26.64.

Should Bumrah replace Rohit as captain?

In Rohit’s absence, vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah had led India to a 295-run in Perth.

Asked if Bumrah is shaping up well to take over the reins from Rohit, Kapil said: "I think it is too early to talk about that. With one performance, you can't say he is the best, and with one bad performance, you can't say he doesn't deserve it.

"Let a player play a lot of cricket, take on a lot of captaincy. Ups and downs will come, and then you judge a person by how he reacts in difficult times, not in good times. In good times, we don't have to judge. When he is down and out..."