'I am sure things will change very fast' - Mohammad Kaif backs Virat Kohli to regain the lost mojo
The former India skipper has been undergoing a worrying decline with his game across all three formats.
Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has come out in support of Virat Kohli, with the ex India skipper undergoing a sustained period of dip in performances and consistency.
Hailed as a run-machine at one stage in his career, Kohli hasn't made an international hundred for over two and half years now, with last century dating back to the the 2019 pink-ball Test against Bangladesh in Kolkata.
Since the start of 2020, the right-hander is averaging 28.03 in Tests and 39 in ODIs. And though he has an overall T20I strike-rate of 136.13 in this timeframe, his IPL numbers for the last three seasons paint a worrying picture: SR 119.17; Avg 30.30.
Virat Kohli is going through a major decline with his game against spin in the shortest format and has been facing question marks over his range versus pace in Test cricket.
Mohammad Kaif backs underfiring Virat Kohli to conquer the English challenge
Despite all that Virat Kohli has been through with his game over the past three seasons, Kaif reckons the batter is in for a second wing to his illustrious career. He backed the underfiring superstar to rejuvenate himself with a resounding all-format trip to England in July.
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"He has seen the worst in the last couple of months. In the IPL - getting out first ball, run out, struggling for form. This is a beautiful game, cricket, - you might be a great player of your era, a legend of the game, but you have to start from zero (every time a batter comes out to bat)," Kaif said on TOI Sportscast.
"Virat has seen the worst, but I am sure things will change very fast, very quickly (for him). I don't think Virat has anything (left) to prove to anyone. He is a legend of the game - 8000 Test runs (8,043), 10000 ODI runs (12,311). He has been there and done that for India, so he is one of the legends (of the game) already," he added.
Kohli will have the opportunity to turn things around starting with the much-anticipated Edgbaston Test, followed by three ODIs and as many T20Is against the hosts in England.