Virat Kohli must continue playing cover drives but needs to pick better balls: Vikram Rathour

India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour believes Virat Kohli shouldn’t cut down the cover drive shot after the Indian skipper got out in the same fashion yet again on Wednesday (December 29) in Centurion. Kohli played a fairly wide delivery outside the off-stump only to edge it to the wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock. He was dismissed in the same way in the first innings as well and on both occasions, the batter had got useful starts.

Rather this has become a common mode of dismissal for the 33-year-old over the last few months or so. For the same reason, the fans and experts are advising him to cut down the cover drive, the shot which has brought him a lot of runs, similar to what Sachin Tendulkar did during his masterclass knock of 241 runs in Sydney in January 2004.

But Rathour feels that Kohli should continue playing the cover drive and also stated that there are discussions in the nets about playing and not playing such shots. “These are shots which brings him (Kohli) lots of runs and it’s his scoring shot. He needs to play that shot and I think it is always your strength that turns out to be your weakness as well.

“If you don’t play a certain shot, you will never get out playing that shot. You will never score runs as well. Now, when to play that shot, that’s the part there are constant discussions,” he said after the end of the day’s play on Wednesday.

It will be better if we tighten up our game plans, says Vikram Rathour

However, Vikram Rathour felt that the Indian batters including Virat Kohli need to tighten up their technique a little bit. However, he also cautioned that the India skipper needs to pick better balls to play his cover drive. “Was it the right stage to play that shot? If we can tighten up our game-plans a little more, that will be better. So that’s the shot he (Kohli) plays well and he needs to carry on playing that shot but he needs to pick better balls,” he added.

Meanwhile, team India is six wickets away from victory in the first Test against South Africa while the hosts are 211 runs away from the target. The Proteas ended Day 4 at 94/4 with their captain Dean Elgar fighting it out hard in the middle and it remains to be seen if weather holds up well in Centurion on Thursday.