Veteran cricketer Virat Kohli has been tipped to follow Cheteshwar Pujara's path to regain some crucial red-ball form ahead of India's Test series in England. Kohli got this tip from former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar.
Manjrekar wants Kohli to play a few matches in the County Championship, which will help him get fit ahead of the crucial series against England. India will travel to England for a five-match Test series starting in June.
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Virat Kohli advised to follow the path of Cheteshwar Pujara
While talking to Star Sports, Sanjay Manjrekar felt the need for red ball cricket for Virat Kohli after his recent poor form in the longest format. Manjrekar called Kohli to play county cricket in England, as Cheteshwar Pujara had done before.
“(Virat) Kohli needs to play a lot of red-ball cricket. The first England Test is in June, while the county championship starts in April. He could join a county team like (Cheteshwar) Pujara did and earn valuable runs. match practice,” Manjrekar told the Deep Point podcast.
Cheteshwar Pujara has good experience playing for Sussex in the county championship. He played some match winning knocks for the team in both red ball and 50 over format.
Pujara also has the experience of leading Sussex. However, Kohli has not played County Cricket till now. The 36-year-old recently faced criticism for the lack of first-class cricket under his belt, which led to his decline in Test cricket.
“Playing county cricket could be a very sensible move” – Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar feels India cannot afford another poor Test series for Virat Kohli now. He feels India can assess his performance in the opening Tests against England before deciding on his future.
“India can then assess his performances in the initial Test matches. If there are positive signs, he can continue. But the last thing you want is for Kohli to go out there and struggle, as we've seen before. That's not it would be good for Indian Cricket to play county cricket could be a very sensible move for him,” remarked Manjrekar.
Apart from Sanjay Manjrekar, former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar backed Kohli to return to form soon. Bangar hailed his fitness and believes he still has a lot to offer in international cricket.
Virat Kohli's poor red ball form
Virat Kohli scored 190 runs in five Tests at an average of just 23.75 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He was consistently troubled by balls that drifted off-stump and was dismissed on his outside edge behind the wickets on all eight occasions.
Kohli entered the series on the back of poor form in the home series against New Zealand, where he scored 93 runs in three Tests at an average of 15.50. He was repeatedly troubled by the spin during this series.
The upcoming Champions Trophy will be very crucial for Virat Kohli and may even determine his future. The 36-year-old will be keen to regain some form in his most favored format.