NEW DELHI —
Virat Kohli deserves more respect and will
fight his way out of an alarming slump which hit a new low when he suffered a
second successive golden duck in the IPL, fellow cricket stars say.
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It is the first time in the Indian's stellar career that he
has got out on the opening ball twice in a row and has scored just 119 runs in
eight matches this season for
Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Pictures of "King Kohli" talking to West Indian
great and Sunrisers Hyderabad batting coach Brian Lara went viral on social
media after Bangalore's big loss on Saturday, when they crashed out for 68.
Fans reacted with excitement to the picture of two greats in
one frame, with many believing the talk would help turn around Kohli's form in
the ongoing Twenty20 tournament.
Former Bangalore captain and coach Daniel Vettori feels that
the 33-year-old Kohli, who will likely next play on Tuesday against Rajasthan
Royals, will eventually strike form again.
"People talk about him being mentally fatigued, but I
think he's better than that, I think he's bigger than that," Vettori told
ESPNcricinfo.
"I think he'll find a way to battle through it and the
way is through that aggressive nature."
The former
New Zealand skipper said that Kohli should go
back to his roots.
"I think this is the time when he'd turn to his
friends, his closest confidantes and maybe a mentor from when he was
young," said Vettori.
"I think space is the key, and understanding and
respect for him as a player," he added.
Kohli, one of the best batsmen of the modern game and often
the standard-bearer for Indian cricket, got out first ball to Lucknow Super
Giants pace bowler
Dushmantha Chameera and then fell to Hyderabad left-arm
quick Marco Jansen.
Jansen, a 21-year-old South African who had caught Kohli's attention
as a net bowler back in 2018 in South Africa, got his prized scalp with a
fuller-angled delivery that got the batsman caught at second slip.
"If a batsman has played even half a dozen deliveries,
you notice whether his foot is moving or his batting is not coming right,"
batting great Sunil Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
"But when a batsman gets out on the first ball, I think
it's just the anxiety."
The slide
Kohli's successive golden ducks have made headlines, but
statistics suggest his problems go deeper than that.
His miserable run with the bat has coincided with him
stepping down as captain of India in T20 and Test cricket, and also being
removed as ODI skipper, all in the last seven months.
He has failed to score a century in over 100 matches in all
formats.
Former England batsman
Kevin Pietersen said it was only a
matter of time until Kohli is back to his prolific best.
"You want a fact? Every single great of our game has
been through what Virat is going through," Pietersen tweeted.
"Want another fact? They all get through it and deliver
on the big stage again."
Bangalore retained Kohli, who stepped down as captain of the
franchise, last year for nearly $2 million but it was a pay cut for the star
player who previously had the biggest IPL annual salary of $2.7 million.
Former India coach
Ravi Shastri believes that Kohli is
"overcooked" because of so much cricket and should be given a break
to relieve his "fried brain".
Kohli has played 101 Tests, 260 one-day internationals and
97 Twenty20 matches for India since 2008, during which time he has amassed
23,650 runs across the three formats including 70 centuries.
He is still searching for a first IPL title with Bangalore.
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