Childhood coach of Virat Kohli advises him to not play square of the wicket in England

Virat Kohli’s childhood coach has advised him to not play square of the wicket

Despite India’s bullish performance in England, one failure has stood out as a concern for many. Virat Kohli’s poor run of form with the bat has not gone unnoticed with the critics whom he termed ‘strange’ before the series.

Ever since landing in England, Virat Kohli has scored 29, 36, 1, 8, 25 and 0 in 2 practice matches and 2 Tests. In the first innings of 2^nd Test at Lord’s Kohli’s 25 was his most confident performance of the tour so far before he was removed by a corker of a delivery from James Anderson.

The reports of the 25-year-old spending time with friend and Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma in England has also added fuel to the fire.

However, Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma is not reading too much into his dip in form. Sharma has known Kohli since the Delhi batsman was 10 years old, and has complete faith in his protege to bounce back.

Sharma told PTI on Thursday that he’s in constant touch with the batsman in England and has advised him to avoid playing shots square of the wicket, and focus more of presenting a straight face of the bat to counter the swing.

“Virat has six Test centuries and is too good a player to be kept quiet for a long time. I am having regular chats with him and have advised him to cut down on shots square of the wicket initially. He should concentrate on playing within the 'V' as it will help him counter the swing and seam movement easily.

“I told him to avoid playing the flick shot initially when the ball is swinging. He doesn't need to change anything in his batting. Just play straight and the big knock is just round the corner,” Sharma said.

The 49-year-old, who has played first-class cricket for Haryana, stressed that more than poor shot selection, it was the case of brilliant deliveries getting Virat’s wicket.

“Yes, I would have been worried had he been out playing a rank bad shot in these innings. But that has not been the case. He has got out to some extremely good deliveries bowled by top class Test bowlers. Take the Jimmy Anderson delivery in the first innings of the Lord's Test. The ball swung in and then shaped away after pitching. Nine out of 10 batsmen would be out facing such delivery. It was a quality delivery.”

In the second innings, Kohli was out shouldering arms to Liam Plunkett to register his second golden duck in Test cricket.

“If you have an idea about the Lord's ground, Plunkett was operating up the slope. When someone is coming uphill, you don't expect the ball to cut back sharply as it did. Just like a batsman wants to score, ditto for bowlers. You will bowl good deliveries at this level but Virat is good enough to have an answer for these deliveries,” Sharma clarified.

Since he struck his maiden Test hundred in Adelaide at the start of 2012, he’s been India’s best batsman and remained consistent across all formats. Save for a dull period at the start of 2013, Kohli’s enjoyed stupendous success, irrespective or format or venue.

In his first Test innings in South Africa, he struck a fighting hundred against the likes of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, followed by 96 in the second innings.

In New Zealand, in the second Test at Wellington, he scored a fluent hundred to ensure a draw. Sharma agrees that the batsman is facing a dull period after such stupendous success, which is natural.

“Yes, he is also encountering the Law of Averages. Each cricketer has to go through this phase. This tests one' mental strength and I don't need to tell you guys that Virat is a very strong kid mentally. He is not someone to get affected by two or three failures,” he said.

Sharma, who’s flying to England before the start of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, also said that Kohli is matured enough to handle his personal life, and Anushka Sharma’s presence in England should not be a cause of concern.

“Let me assure one and all that Virat knows what his priorities are. His focus is only on his game. Also he is 25-year-old boy who knows what he is doing. He is mature enough to handle his personal life. If he feels relaxed by sharing his thoughts with a friend, he is entitled to do that and it will certainly not affect his game,” he signed off.