‘Should have shown more intent’ - Virat Kohli's childhood coach assesses his performance in Bangladesh Tests

KL Rahul-led team India registered a series win 2-0 against hosts Bangladesh as they emerged victorious in the second Test by three wickets in Mirpur. Flamboyant India batter, Virat Kohli endured an underwhelming game and his lackluster display with the willow forced his childhood coach to make an honest assessment.

Kohli scored one run and unbeaten 19 in the first Test in Chattogram and followed that by 24 and one run off 22 balls in Mirpur. The batter seemed to have struggled against the spinners and his childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma stated that the batter should have shown more "intent".

"A batter is quite disappointed after he gets out, and Virat Kohli is very aggressive by nature. But the way he has been getting out is not acceptable. It's unfortunate to see a batter of his stature struggle against Bangladeshi spinners. He should have shown more intent,” Rajkumar told India News Sports.

"With both the mid-on and mid-off fielders inside the circle, he could have played a bit more freely. Unless you unsettle a spinner, he is not going to let you play. You need to do something innovative like playing a slog sweep or sweeping an outside off ball,” he added.

India in contention for finals of WTC 2021-23 cycle

Team India is still in the race to make a spot in the summit clash of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23 cycle. Following the series win against the Bangla Tigers, India rose up to the second spot in the WTC points table.

Australia stand on top of the points table and have nearly cemented their place in the finals of the global ICC event. Notably, both Australia and India will lock horns in a four-match series in India in February-March 2023.