"Just needs one good knock" - Virat Kohli's childhood coach on his ward's poor form in red-ball cricket

Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma believes that the batter has looked in good touch so far in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.

During a discussion on India News Sports, Sharma pointed out that Kohli has got off to good starts so far in the series and has also looked very confident at the crease. He suggested that Virat Kohli needs just one good innings to get back to form in red-ball cricket.

"Virat has looked confident throughout the series," Sharma explained. "He got off to a decent start. Unfortunately, he got out after that. He once got out down the leg side and then missed a short ball on another occasion. His form isn't much of a concern for me. He has batted really well and just needs one good knock."

Kohli has struggled to get going in the longest format of the game lately. The star batter is averaging 25.80 in home Tests since 2021. He hasn't scored a century in Test matches since November 2019.

In the ongoing series against Australia, Virat Kohli has amassed 111 runs in five innings at a paltry average of 22.20.

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"It's tough to change your game completely" - Saba Karim on Virat Kohli's performances in home Tests

Speaking in the aforementioned discussion, former wicketkeeper-batter Saba Karim stated that Virat Kohli cannot play his favorite shots like the cover drive or the pull shot on the turning pitches in India. He also suggested that batters are forced to change their game in these conditions, which is never easy.

Saba Karim noted how the former Indian skipper was dismissed while trying to play a shot off the back foot in the second innings of the previous Test. The cricketer-turned-commentator opined that one cannot rely on such strokes on such surfaces and reckoned that batters should consider playing the ball with a straight bat.

"For Virat Kohli, the cover drive, back foot punch and the pull shot come very instinctively to him," he added. "It's tough to change your game completely by thinking that you can only afford to play with a straight bat on such wickets. It requires strong willpower. He got out while playing on the back foot in the previous Test. While he likes to play that stroke a lot, you cannot play that on such a surface."

Kohli will next be seen in action during the fourth Test between the two sides. The match will kick off at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday, March 9.