India’s veteran cricketer Virat Kohli is going through a bad run of form. The 36-year-old had a disappointing run in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as he was constantly troubled by balls outside the off-stump.
Looking at his lean run, former Indian cricketer Yograj Singh opened up about the role of head coach Gautam Gambhir. Yograj feels that Gambhir needs to step in and guide Kohli about his mistakes.
Virat Kohli has been bowled out on all eight occasions in this series. As the series progressed, the problems grew for him as his weakness was constantly the target of some relentless attack from the Australian bowler.
Also read: BCCI forces Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli to play ODI series against England
Gautam Gambhir’s role in Virat Kohli’s underachievement
In an interview with the news agency IANS, Yograj Singh spoke about the role of the head coach in such situations. He called for better people management skills for international players instead of coaching.
“The role of the coach becomes a significant issue when you are playing for India. When you are an exceptional player representing India, you may not necessarily need coaching in the traditional sense. What you really need is someone to manage people,” Yograj said.
“Sometimes a player’s mind gets blocked; maybe they don’t score, or they keep getting out. No matter how big a player is, he can’t be bigger than the game itself,” he added.
Yograj feels that Gautam Gambhir needs to guide Kohli about playing evenly or leaving the balls instead of looking for them outside. He advised Kohli to refrain from playing such shots in bounce and seam conditions.
“Such players need someone to guide them, to tell them, ‘Let’s go to the nets and work on this’. For example, Virat Kohli has come out many times playing his favorite shot – the right-hand shot,” noted Singh.
“That shot works on Indian pitches, in England and elsewhere. But on certain pitches where the ball bounces and carries more, someone should have told him ‘Virat, don’t play this shot’. Just play straight or leave this ball,” he added.
“Every player faces a slump” – Yograj Singh
Speaking further on the difference between coaching and management, Yograj Singh feels that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli should be told about the mistakes of the coaching staff.
“This illustrates the difference between coaching and management. Identifying and highlighting a player’s technical fault is coaching. Someone needs to recognize and communicate these technical issues to the players,” Yograj observed.
“But who will tell Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli? Even they want someone to come and tell them what is wrong,” he argued.
Yograj also believes that the coaching staff must give the players confidence to perform. According to him, a player will have moments when he will not be in shape, but it is all part of the game.
“I believe what is needed is proper management – someone who understands when a player’s mind is blocked, when they feel down, and reassures them by saying, ‘Don’t worry, we’re here for you. You’re going to do it because you’re a great player.'” .Every player faces a slump, even the greatest ones, it’s a part of the game,” said Yuvraj Singh’s father.
Poor form of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
Virat Kohli scored 190 runs in five Tests at an average of just 23.75 throughout the series. All his dismissals were to the balls off the stump. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma has also been in poor form as he mustered just 31 runs in three Tests at 6.20.
The poor form of these senior players has raised questions about their future in Test cricket. There are calls for their retirement from several former cricketers, however, both are likely to continue for now.
