Virat Kohli has been dismissed for a first-ball duck twice in his last three outings, is averaging only 16 and has managed to score just 128 runs in 9 matches. Number-wise he is having a nightmarish IPL 2022. While his problems with deliveries going away remain, the former India and RCB captain seems to have developed a new weakness against hard-length deliveries. Twice Kohli has been out attempting a pull shot, two times he has been dismissed fending away from his body to balls which have been just short of a good length and rising.
The voices, including former India head coach Ravi Shastri's, suggesting a break from cricket for Kohli is gaining momentum. At this moment, ESPNCricinfo put out a question 'what advice would you give to Virat Kohli right now?' on Twitter. There were varied responses from fans but the reply from Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Riyan Parag stole the show.
Watch: Riyan Parag, Harshal Patel involved in heated argument
Parag, who was adjudged Player of the Match for his unbeaten half-century against RCB on Tuesday, came up with a stunning tweet saying: "None of us should, let the 🐐 do his thing."
Kohli walked out to open the batting along with RCB skipper Faf du Plessis on Tuesday. He was almost caught off the third ball but ball bounced just inches away from the square leg fielder. He flicked the next Trent Boult delivery for a boundary and then nearly chopped it back onto his stumps twice in the remaining two deliveries of the over.
{{/usCountry}}Kohli walked out to open the batting along with RCB skipper Faf du Plessis on Tuesday. He was almost caught off the third ball but ball bounced just inches away from the square leg fielder. He flicked the next Trent Boult delivery for a boundary and then nearly chopped it back onto his stumps twice in the remaining two deliveries of the over.
{{/usCountry}}In the next over, he was dismissed for 9 by Prasidh Krishna after getting a bottom edge in trying to play a pull shot.
Kohli, however, got the backing of his captain, who called him a 'great player'.
"Great players go through these things. Great players go through phases like this. We wanted him to get in straightaway so that he doesn't sit on the sidelines and think about the game. He is a great player and we still back him to turn it around and hopefully it's around the corner. It's a game of confidence," du Plessis said after RCB lost the match by 29 runs.