"The standards he had set were high for even him to achieve" - Mike Hesson on Virat Kohli's tough phase

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Director of Cricket, Mike Hesson believes Virat Kohli wasn't in as bad a form as many thought last year. Kohli had a pretty tough IPL 2022 season, where he was dismissed for a golden duck thrice and also struggled in the initial half of the year at international level with India.

However, Hesson feels that while Kohli wasn't getting the big hundred, he was still getting those useful contributions for his team that went under the radar. He feels the former Indian captain is a victim of his own high standards.

Speaking on the RCB podcast, here's what Mike Hesson had to say about Virat Kohli's lean patch of form:

"Virat has been so good for so long that the standards he had set were high for even him to achieve. The expectations from him are so much that, even if he was the highest run-scorer of 3 of the past 5 series for India, no one talks about that because he didn't score the hundred and didn't reach the heights that he set for himself."

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Mike Hesson on the backing Virat Kohli got

Virat Kohli just hasn't looked back since the hundred that he scored against Afghanistan in September last year. He has scored centuries across formats and has shown shades of his vintage best.

Mike Hesson feels that despite Kohli's rough patch, everyone backed him because they know just how good he is. On this, Hesson stated:

"He (Kohli) went through a tough time that every cricketer goes through. He also had to go through different phases, right from being the captain of all formats to relinquishing it and then having a child and enjoying some other parts of his game.

"You know, if there's anyone who will come out of it stronger, it's Virat. You back certain players every game because they can win you crunch moments and Virat is one of those players."

However, Virat Kohli hasn't scored much in the ongoing ODIs against Australia and will be keen to make the final ODI at the Chepauk count.