In 2014, Virat Kohli was not offering the full face of the bat: WV Raman

Former India cricketer WV Raman has opined that Virat Kohli struggled during the 2014 England tour because he was too keen on trying to get behind the line of the ball. According to Raman, since Kohli was so pre-occupied with the technical aspect, he was actually not offering the full face of the bat.

Virat Kohli had contrasting tours of England in 2014 and 2018. In 2014, he managed only 134 runs in five Tests at a poor average of 13.40. Four years later, he hammered 593 runs in the five-Test series. Virat Kohli averaged 59.30 with two hundreds in 2018.

Reflecting on what went wrong for Virat Kohli on his first Test tour of England, Raman told the Hindustan Times in an interview:

“I think in 2014 he (Virat Kohli) was so keen to get right behind the line of the ball that his bat at times was struggling to get down on time. He was not offering the full face of the bat. Sometimes when you are too keen to play it the correct way that you forget to relax. For example, beside the line, a player need not alter his technique completely to succeed in England. He needs to ensure that doesn’t play his shots far too early in the innings and pick his deliveries smartly.”

The 56-year-old added that players need to make subtle changes to their game to adapt to conditions. Raman explained in this regard:

“At this level, it is all about these subtle changes. When you are on a tour, it is very difficult to suddenly bat like someone else in a matter of two weeks. When you are used to playing a certain way for so many years, you need to maintain that and find ways to cope with difficult scenarios.”

Virat Kohli explains why the 2014 tour of England will always be a landmark in his career. More on this here.👇🏻https://t.co/5weaKDQTUB

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) July 24, 2020

Virat Kohli will always have doubts about James Anderson: Irfan Pathan

According to former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan, Virat Kohli will definitely have his doubts when he comes up against James Anderson despite his success on the previous tour.

Anderson was Virat Kohli’s nemesis during the 2014 series as he constantly troubled him with nagging lines outside the off stump. Pathan wrote in his column for the Playfield Magazine:

“You ask Virat Kohli, he will never worry about Mitchell Johnson bowling fast because he knows he can come in line, but he will always have doubts about James Anderson. No batsman in the world is comfortable when the ball is moving. The corridor of uncertainty, remember? It will remain open forever.”

#OnThisDay in 2018, Virat Kohli hit his first Test century in England💥His Test average in England - On the 2014 tour: 13.40On the 2018 tour: 59.30 pic.twitter.com/PsRUwNdvd9

— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) August 2, 2020

Virat Kohli will lead India in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand, followed by the five-match Test series against England.