'As long as the break doesn’t mean he is missing India matches' - Sunil Gavaskar opines on Virat Kohli's form

Former India captain and batting legend Sunil Gavaskar opined that Virat Kohli should not take a break during the India matches, even if he requires one to regain form. Gavaskar feels Kohli should have opted to sit out during the Indian Premier League in order to focus on the India games scheduled after IPL 2022.

Gavaskar’s views came after Kohli was again dismissed for a Golden Duck in RCB’s clash against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday afternoon. Kohli’s average in the IPL has deteriorated badly after his poor form this season and as a result, many cricket veterans and experts suggested that the former India captain should take a break from the game to bounce back stronger.

“As long as the break doesn’t mean he is missing India matches. India matches should be No. 1 priority. It’s as simple as that. I think the thing is that if you don’t play, how do you get your form back? Sitting in the change room, it’s not going to get your form back. The more you play, the more chances you have getting your form back,” Gavaskar said while being on-air for Star Sports on Sunday.

Kohli was dismissed for a Golden Duck for the third time in IPL 2022 as he was scalped by Jagadeesha Suchith on the very first ball of the game after RCB had elected to bat first. Kohli opened the game by taking the strike to face Suchith for the first over and chipped the first ball straight to Kane Williamson.

Virat Kohli can’t take a break for an India game: Gavaskar

Every cricket fan has been waiting for Virat Kohli to gain his mojo in the game. His half-century against the Gujarat Titans, which was also the first of this season, gave some hopes of his comeback, but all hopes went in vain after his recent dismissal. Kohli’s stint in the national side immediately after the IPL includes the South Africa series and the tour of the UK (England and Ireland).

“You ask all over India, you want everybody in India who follows the game will say ‘we want the form for India’. Right? So you can’t take a break for an India game. You want Kohli to start scoring runs for India. All of us want that. All of us want to see him get back to scoring big runs again,” Gavaskar added.