“He is relaxed and seems to be enjoying himself” - Virat Kohli’s childhood coach on former captain’s mindset

Virat Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma has asserted that the star batter is quite relaxed and is enjoying himself minus the pressure of the captaincy. Sharma also backed Kohli to come good in the ODI series against South Africa.

Having been sacked as ODI skipper ahead of the ongoing tour, the 33-year-old will play the limited-overs series as a pure batter. Kohli also gave up the Test captaincy following India’s defeat in the three-match series against the Proteas.

Speaking ahead of the ODI rubber against South Africa, Sharma revealed that he has interacted with the former skipper, who seems to be in a relaxed state.

During a discussion on the Khelneeti podcast, he said:

“I hope he is in a better and positive frame of mind. There is no pressure on him now. He is relaxed and seems to be enjoying himself. I have been in touch with him and he is feeling quite at ease. When he is in a positive frame of mind, his performances are much better. His preparations are more mental. I feel his performance in the ODI series is going to be excellent.”

Kohli has been embroiled in multiple controversies of late. He took on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in a press conference ahead of the South Africa tour. His stump mic antics following a DRS decision in Cape Town were also heavily criticized.

“There has not been a bigger match-winner for India” - Rajkumar Sharma on Virat Kohli

Question marks have been raised about Kohli’s form of late, following his inability to convert starts into big scores. However, according to Sharma, the 33-year-old has nothing to prove.

Praising Kohli, he said:

“After looking at all the stats, I can say that there has not been a bigger match-winner for India. Don’t think any other player has won so many games for India. He doesn’t have any point to prove or silence critics. In Indian cricket, people tend to forget achievements pretty soon. I am sure his bat will do the talking.”

The 56-year-old also stated that Kohli’s defensive batting in Tests was not an indication of his mindset but a reflection of India’s poor middle-order form. He explained:

“He is in command but the team’s circumstances were such. The middle-order was very shallow, so Virat had to change his style. He never plays so defensively but he had to take up the responsibility. I am sure his hunger for runs will be greater. Expect some big scores.”

Kohli ended the Test series with 161 runs in four innings at an average of 40.25 and a strike rate of 34.26.