New Zealand vs India 2020: MSK Prasad defends Virat Kohli despite his poor performance against the Kiwis

What's the story?

India's outgoing chief selector MSK Prasad was all praise for Indian skipper Virat Kohli despite his woeful run in the recently-concluded New Zealand tour.

The background

Despite starting the tour on a high by winning the T20I series 5-0, Kohli's men suffered a shock 3-0 whitewash in the 50-over format in New Zealand. In the first Test in Wellington, the visitors suffered a ten-wicket defeat after a massive batting collapse in both the innings.

The No.1-ranked Test side, who were expected to bounce back strongly at the Hagley Oval, failed to capitalise on the seven-run first-innings lead as they bundled out for just 124 runs in the second innings. Kane Williamson's men chased down the target of 132 quite comfortably, thereby winning the game by seven wickets and clinching the series 2-0.

Congratulations to New Zealand on winning the Test series. #NZvIND Details👉 https://t.co/VTLQt4iEFz pic.twitter.com/gNq2DGHxWm

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 2, 2020

India's poor batting performance was the major talking point during the two-match Test series as the visitors failed to tackle the fiery pace attack of Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Kyle Jamieson, and Neil Wagner.

Also see – IPL schedule

The heart of the matter

Meanwhile, Kohli had a forgettable outing himself and managed just 218 runs in 11 outings across all three formats. To add to the woes, it was the 31-year-old's lowest run-tally on a tour where India played all the formats. His performances have led to a lot of questions regarding his technique and repeated failures.

Prasad, who was unperturbed by Kohli's poor form, said:

"We are talking about a legend who has been a run-machine for many years. He is also a human and he can have one odd series where he doesn’t perform. One series should not go against him, he has been a phenomenal player"

What's next?

India's next assignment will be a three-match ODI series against South Africa at home. The series, which begins at Dharamsala on March 12th, will be heading to Lucknow (March 15th) and Eden Gardens (March 18th) for the remaining fixtures.