Former Australian cricketer Greg Chappell has come up with a massive suggestion for Indian national cricket team batsman Virat Kohli amid his struggles in Tests. He said the batsman is suffering from Elite Performance Decline Syndrome (EPDS) and the batsman needs to buffer a score of 20 or 30 to regain his confidence.
Indian national cricket team batsman Virat Kohli has struggled going into Tests. This came as a massive surprise as even after scoring a century in the first Test against Australia in Perth, he did not look at all confident in the ongoing 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Virat Kohli was not at his best after the Perth Test in the ongoing BGT
Kohli played a magnificent innings of 100 runs in the opening Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, after that he looked torrid with the bat and struggled against the outside line, with the pacers of the Australian national cricket team having his number in the last two matches.
Kohli, in the last two Tests, has collected just 26 runs, which reveals his struggles as a batsman in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The lead batsman has not looked his best in the last two matches and would be keen to turn things around in the final two Tests of the series.
Virat Kohli, who averages around 25 Tests this year, looked tentative at the start of his innings. The batsman could not trust his defense and hit balls that were outside off, which led to his dismissal in the last four innings of the ongoing series.
Kohli, once renowned for his dominating starts, has shown a penchant for tentative starts in recent years – Greg Chappell
Greg Chappell said Virat Kohli's approach at the crease is a sign of EPDS. He said batters in recent years have shown a tendency to start tentatively. Writing in his column for The Sydney Morning Herald, he explained:
“The first visible sign of EPDS is a subtle but unmistakable change in a bowler's approach. Kohli, once renowned for his dominating starts, has in recent years shown a tendency to start tentatively.”
Scoring 20 or 30 acts as a psychological turning point – Greg Chappell's suggestion to Virat Kohli
Greg Chappell, while comparing Virat Kohli's form with Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting, suggested that the batsman needs a buffer of 20-30 runs to rediscover his flow at the crease. He believes that if the batsman does this, it will help him regain his confidence. He elaborated:
“Like Tendulkar and Ponting before him, Kohli seems to need a buffer – a score of 20 or 30 – before he can rediscover his flow. Achieving a score of 20 or 30 acts as a psychological tipping point, helping them regain their confidence and fluency during their prime.”
Overall, 2024 has not been a great year for Virat Kohli at all. In the 9 games he has played so far, the leading batsman has amassed 376 runs at an average of 25.06, his highest score being 100 not out.