AB de Villiers scolds Virat Kohli for fight with Sam Konstas, offers solution to external problems

Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers has some great advice for India’s Virat Kohli on how to address weaknesses from the offside. De Villiers also feels that Kohli needs to focus more on his batting instead of trying to engage with the opposition players.

Virat Kohli has had disappointing returns in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy where he averaged less than 25 in five Test series. Australia’s relentless bowling attack was constantly being tested out of place.

Kohli’s dismissal style did not change as the series progressed. In his last dismissal of the series in Sydney, he was visibly frustrated and even shouted at himself for going to the ball outside the off-stump once again.

Also read: After Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting hails Jasprit Bumrah’s ‘best ever fast bowling display in BGT’

“Reset your mind” – AB de Villiers’ advice to Virat Kohli

Appearing on 360 live on his X (formerly Twitter) account, AB de Villiers answered a few questions from his fans. During this show, he was asked about Virat Kohli’s weakness off the stumps and how the Indian star can overcome it.

De Villiers backed Virat Kohli to overcome weakness by resetting his mind for every ball. According to him, Kohli has the skills and experience to handle this situation and he just needs to concentrate and reset his mind every time he plays the next ball.

“Of course it can. Every single batsman in the world has some kind of weakness. It takes a lot of character, a lot of hunger, a lot of hours in the nets. I think it’s about resetting your mind, every time,” De Villiers said.

“The guy’s skill, experience and size are not the problem. It’s about refocusing after every single ball. Maybe he gets too involved sometimes,” he added.

Australia won #BGT reserve a seat in #WTC Final against my Proteus. Jump to today’s #360Live and let’s talk about what went wrong in India and what else is going on in the world of cricket…. https://t.co/OydSB92xZE

— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) January 5, 2025

AB de Villiers advises Virat Kohli not to get into arguments

The legendary South African batsman further advised Virat Kohli not to indulge in any controversies at this stage and rather concentrate on his game. According to him, individual fights do not allow the Indian giant to concentrate on his own game.

“I think with Virat (Kohli) he gets into a battle on the field. That’s one of his biggest strengths and it can also be a weakness. During this series we’ve seen him fight one-on-one battles with some players, the crowd has gotten under his skin,” remarked De Villiers.

“Virat likes to fight, but when you are not in the shape of your life, it is best to get rid of those things. As a batsman, you need to reset yourself every time and realize that every ball is an event and just forget the bowler,” he reckoned.

Virat Kohli’s tough streak in BGT 2024-25

Virat Kohli scored 190 runs in five Tests at an average of 23.75 in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He scored a hundred in the first Test at Perth, but his tally faded from the second Test onwards.

Kohli was also involved in various altercations with the Australian players and the crowd. In the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, he was caught in a shoulder collision with Australian debutant Sam Konstas which even led to a heated argument between the two.

As a result, Kohli was fined 20 percent of his match fee and was also given one demerit point. The veteran was even booed on several occasions by the Australian crowd until the last Test match in Sydney.