Former Indian wicket-keeper bat Parthiv Patel reckons the lack of match practice isn’t helping Virat Kohli in the ODI series against Australia. Kohli has come back into action after last playing professional cricket in the IPL and he hasn’t been able to get going as he has bagged two consecutive ducks in the first two games of the series.
After managing an eight-ball duck at Optus Stadium, Perth, Kohli once again failed to trouble the scorers at Adelaide as he was dismissed for a blob.
Kohli was plumbed in front by Xavier Bartlett for a four-ball duck. The right-arm seamer was able to get the ball back into the right-hander and Kohli could not make any connection with his bat.
“If a batter spends time in the middle, then you try to see if he is in form or not, and if there is any technical fault or not. However, if he hasn’t spent that much time, you can’t say what form he is going through,” Parthiv Patel said on Star Sports.
“One thing is clear. All of us have been talking about it that if match practice is not there, it’s not easy to score runs in international cricket. We don’t need to tell anyone that Virat is a great player, we know his numbers, but match practice is a massive factor when you come to play international cricket or any level of cricket,” he added.
Patel highlighted that Kohli doesn’t need any kind of motivation to perform at the top level, as he has delivered for India on numerous occasions.
“We all hope that he bats like that, and we have seen that kind of batting many times as well from Virat, but unfortunately, it’s not happening currently. You don’t need motivation and Virat Kohli is that kind of person,” he replied.
“When he wears the Indian jersey, he knows he has to perform well. I don’t think he needs to search for something from outside. As coaches or former players, we always say that you need one inning to click and then everything changes. Virat will be in search of that one inning,” Parthiv observed.
The third and final ODI between India and Australia will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.
