Virat Kohli has been struggling in every format of the game for the last two years. His stats seem reasonably good when compared to other players of his team but compared to the old Virat Kohli, he is nowhere close. Many are of the opinion that the upcoming South Africa series will be the perfect opportunity for Virat to get back to his usual self as his record against the Proteas is tremendous.
The last time when India went to South Africa, Virat Kohli was much of a lone warrior in all the formats and he single handedly took India to winning ways.
Saba Karim feels that Indian head coach Rahul Dravid can also play a tremendous role in bringing Kohli back on track as the two work closely. The former Indian cricketer is positive that known South African conditions and Rahul Dravid’s guidance will be enough for Kohli to find his long lost form back.
He said, “The fight on the ground is the most difficult and Virat Kohli knows that as well. He also realizes that in the last one or two years, not only his but even the top order’s form has not been good. The stability or the partnerships required have not been seen.”
“He also knows that because he comes in to bat at No. 4, if his bat fires and he scores the big runs, the players around him will also start contributing. And that is why I feel his preparations should be perfect and he is putting more time in the nets,” Saba Karim added.
“The advantage with Rahul Dravid is that he can tell Virat how the bowler is targeting him, what the bowler’s thinking is. You observe all that while sitting outside as a coach and then you can tell all that to the player who is in the middle. With the experience Rahul Dravid has, he knows very well what needs to be said and what is not required to be said.”
“When a player has reached that level, he learns a lot on his own and finds solutions according to himself and Rahul Dravid will step in where the solutions are not found. That is why I feel this combination will be good,” he concluded.