Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has suggested Virat Kohli to play at the outside off-stump deliveries with soft hands and look for singles. Kohli has been struggling to score runs consistently in the recent past and he hasn’t been at his best.
The veteran could only manage 190 runs in five Test matches against Australia at an average of 23.75. Out of nine innings, Kohli was dismissed caught behind on eight occasions.
Meanwhile, Kohli missed the opening ODI against England due to knee soreness but was dismissed after scoring only five runs in the second game at Cuttack on Sunday.
“What does Virat Kohli need to do to get back into form? He was looking okay in the few balls he played. He played a good on-drive and a good back-foot punch. Adil Rashid got him out earlier as well and got him out this time too. The ball was turning a little and he was left slightly away from the ball because of which he got an outside edge,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“I don’t have a magic wand. I cannot even ask you to leave balls outside the off-stump because this is ODI cricket. You will have to score runs off deliveries outside the off-stump. It will be called a wide in any case if it is too far outside the off-stump,” Chopra added.
The renowned commentator urged Kohli to play with soft hands at the start of his innings.
“In the channel outside the off-stump, eventually you will have to play with soft hands and look for singles. That’s the only thing maybe, instead of going for drives, you can play with soft hands at the start if the balls are slightly too far outside the off-stump, but that’s about it,” Chopra observed.
Meanwhile, Kohli scored a century against England in the Ahmedabad Test and also scored a fifty against Australia in the 2023 ODI World Cup final.
“His Test century (last in India) came here and he scored runs in the (2023 ODI World Cup) final as well, but it’s been an okay ground for him. It’s not that he scores runs whenever he comes here. However, if you are figuring out where you can score runs, this pitch is good for that,” he said.
Chopra wants Kohli to spend time at the crease and said the runs will come for the veteran batter.
“The ball comes nicely onto the bat. You can give yourself time and score a lot of runs. If Rohit and Gill fire, they score runs at a fast pace, you get the chance to play at your pace and just score runs. Spend time on the pitch,” Chopra observed.
The final and third ODI between India and England will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
