Former Indian opener Navjot Singh Sidhu has put his weight behind Virat Kohli amid the batter’s poor form. Kohli could only muster 190 in nine innings at an average of 23.75 in the five-match Test series against Australia. Barring scoring a hundred in the second innings at Perth, Kohli could not deliver a consistent performance for the visitors.

India suffered a 1-3 series loss against the Aussies, who regained the Border-Gavaskar trophy after a decade. 

Sidhu noted that this is not the first time when Virat Kohli is facing such criticism in his career. Kohli was dismissed caught behind on eight occasions in nine innings on the Australian tour as he could not bring his best.

Navjot Singh Sidhu said on Sports Tak, “It’s not the first time that Virat Kohli is facing criticism. It’s not the first time. His wife gets dragged into these things. It’s wrong. We must learn to respect our heroes. Keep some patience.”

“If someone has scored 80 100s, near 10,000 runs [in Tests], you don’t need to tell him anything. He will go home, watch the video, and understand that his bat is going away from his body. He will find a solution like in the past. A great player always overcomes his circumstances,” he added.

On the other hand, Indian captain Rohit Sharma also struggled against Australia. Rohit could only gather 31 runs in five innings at an average of 6.20 and dropped himself out of the Sydney Test because of poor form. Sidhu wants Rohit to work on his fitness to prolong his Test career.

“My only advice to him is fitness which Virat Kohli already has. The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement.”

Rohit has managed a solitary fifty in his last 15 Test innings and he will need to turn the tables.