'I am sure Kohli will find his way back' - Virender Sehwag on the Indian skipper's woeful form

Indian captain Virat Kohli had a horrid tour of New Zealand, which had actually begun amazingly well for the Men in Blue. They steamrolled the home side 5-0 in the T20I series, but that was the high point for them in the whole tour. It all went downhill from there as India lost the ODI series 3-0 and then the Test series 2-0.

Kohli as a batsman failed to come good with the highest score of 45 in T20Is and 51 in ODI series. He managed a paltry 38 runs in 4 innings of the Test series, his second-worst with an average of 9.50. It was reminiscent of his horrible 2014 tour to England. He has also been criticized for his lack of seriousness after ODI series loss, as he seemed to feel 50-over games were not of importance in T20 World Cup year.

However, former India captain Virender Sehwag feels that it’s just a matter of time before Kohli bounces back from his form. Kohli has not made a century in more than 20 innings so far in international cricket, with his highest score being 89 against Australia in an ODI. Sehwag said this is a phase through which every player goes.

‘You have to be patient and back your instincts’: Virender Sehwag

“Every player has to go through this phase. Sachin (Tendulkar), (Brian) Lara, (Steve) Smith have all experienced poor form. I faced and came out of it without compromising with my natural game. When countering difficult times, you have to be patient and back your instincts. I am sure Kohli will find his way back. He is too good to allow this bad patch to continue,” Sehwag was quoted by Sportstar.

Sehwag also felt that pressure to score runs in Test series, which were India’s first in ongoing ICC World Test Championship, got to Kohli and resulted in him being dismissed quickly and for cheap. He opined that Kohli should have been better with his shot selection against the moving ball and should have been on his front foot more to counter the movement.

“Here (in New Zealand) the ball has seamed a lot and if you are not getting runs then the challenge multiplies. Of course, you can adapt, playing more on the front foot, by leaving the ball. For me, it is important to know which ball to leave and you can do that when you are feeling confident. The pressure also may have got to Virat,” said the former India batsman.

India’s next assignment is a three-match ODI series at home against South Africa, starting March 12 and then the IPL 2020 begins from March 29.