What is wrong with Virat Kohli? – That is burning question in Indian cricket right now. The once uber-confident former India captain is struggling to score runs, and while until last year, Kohli’s century drought was the only cause of concern, the current IPL has thrown open a much larger worry. With scores of 1, 12, 0, 0 and 9 in his last five innings, Kohli’s struggle has been well-document. If the two back-to-back golden ducks ran alarms bells, his scratchy 9 off 10 balls showed that is no longer the same world-beater Kohli would dominate the opposition bowling attack and score runs for fun. Kohli faced 10 balls but seemed like getting out three times in the first over itself from Trent Boult.
From Yuvraj, to Gavaskar to Shastri, almost everyone from the cricket fraternity has voiced his opinion on Kohli and what he needs to do to return to his free-flowing. And now, one person who has had a bit of recent history with Kohli has had his say on the hottest topic of Indian cricket. BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, who last December, was embroiled in controversy with Kohli over the former India captain’s decision to step down as captain, has presented his take on Kohli’s lack of runs. Not only Virat, Ganguly even spoke about Rohit Sharma’s string of low scores in IPL 2022.
“They are great players and I am sure they will get back in form. I hope they start scoring runs soon. I don’t know what is going on in Virat Kohli’s head but I am sure he will regain his form and get some good runs. He is a great player,” Ganguly told News agency.
Last week, it was reported that there will be no bio-bubble for the five T20I series between India and South Africa starting early June. Weighing in on similar lines, Ganguly mentioned that if Covid-19 continues to decline in India, there may not be a need of a bio-bubble in the IPL. This year, the Delhi Capitals unit was hit by Covid with as many as seven individuals getting effected from the virus, including players Mitchell Marsh and Tim Siefert. Having said that, Ganguly assured that the BCCI will always be on the toes in terms of handling a Covid situation if and when it arises.
“If the Covid cases do not rise in the country, bio-bubbles may not be required in the IPL. But we will have to wait and watch for how long will they will be able to play in one place. Covid is here to stay – it will be around for another 10 years, so we have to live with it. [As for BCCI handling the situation if the need arises], let’s see what can be done,” he pointed out.