'He has got a little break' - Mohammad Azharuddin backs Virat Kohli to shine in England

Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin believes Virat Kohli will come back stronger in the upcoming England series away from home. Kohli had been going through a rough patch and as a result, has not been able to score much in the past few years.

The 33-year-old regained some form towards the business end of IPL 2022, and he played some fine knocks. But the RCB batter failed to deliver regularly and overall, endured a poor season this time. He even changed his batting position and walked out to open the innings, but nothing seemed to work for the former RCB captain.

“When Kohli gets a 50, it seems he has failed, of course, he has not done much this year. Everybody, even the best, goes through a bad phase in their career. Kohli has been playing a lot of cricket and now that he has got a little break, hopefully, he will come back to form in England,” Azharuddin told GulfNews.

It has been more than two years since Kohli smashed a century. The last time he scored an international ton was against Bangladesh during the D/N Test at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The Indian squad will be touring England for playing the postponed Test match from last year, which will be followed by a three-match T20I series and as many ODIs. After a brief break post the IPL, Kohli will be back in action across formats.

“There is nothing wrong with his technique. Sometimes you also need a little bit of luck. If he gets one big score, a big hundred, the aggression and the confidence will come back,” added Azhar.

Hardik Pandya is a good talent, just needs that consistency: Mohammad Azharuddin

Azharuddin also shared his views on Hardik Pandya, who led Gujarat Titans to their maiden IPL title, and said that the all-rounder needs to showcase consistency for a longer duration now that he is returning back to the Indian squad. Pandya was named in the Indian T20I squad that will be hosting South Africa for a five-match T20I series.

“He has the ability, he has done well for the Indian team, but because of the injuries, he was not in the team consistently. He has come back now, he is bowling his four overs. How long he will bowl we really don’t know. But we definitely want him to bowl since he is an all-rounder. In the IPL final (against Rajasthan Royals), he completely changed the game; three wickets in four overs, then he scored 34 quick runs. He is a good talent, just needs that consistency,” he concluded.