Former Australian cricketer Greg Chappell has made a big suggestion for Indian national cricket team batsman Virat Kohli amid his struggles in Tests. He said the batsman suffers from elite performance decline syndrome (EPDS) and needs to cushion a score of 20 or 30 to regain his confidence.
Indian national cricket team batsman Virat Kohli has been struggling to get going in Tests. This has come as a big surprise because even after scoring a century in the first Test against Australia in Perth, he did not seem to have any confidence in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
Virat Kohli has not been 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 Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. However, after that, he looked torrid with the bat and struggled against the outside line, and the Australian National Cricket Team pacers had his number in the last two matches.
Kohli, in the last two Tests, has managed just 26 runs, revealing his struggles as a batsman in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. The top batsman has not looked at his best in the last two matches and would be keen to turn things around in the last two Tests of the series.
Virat Kohli, who averages around 25 in Tests this year, looked hesitant early in his innings. The batsman has not been able to trust his defense and has touched balls that were out of play, leading to his dismissal in the last four innings of the ongoing series.
Kohli, once known for his dominant starts, has shown a tendency in recent years to start tentatively – Greg Chappell
Greg Chappell said Virat Kohli’s approach to the crease is a sign of EPDS. He said the batsman in recent years has shown a tendency to start tentatively. In his column for The Sydney Morning Herald, he explained:
“The first visible sign of EPDS is a subtle but unmistakable change in a player’s attitude around the field. Kohli, once famous for his dominant starts, has in recent years shown a tendency to start tentatively.”
Reaching a score of 20 or 30 acts as a psychological turning point: Greg Chappell’s suggestion to Virat Kohli
Greg Chappell, while correlating Virat Kohli’s form with Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting, suggested that the batsman He needs a buffer of 20-30 runs to rediscover his fluidity at the crease. He believes that if the batsman does that, it will help him regain 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 fluidity. Reaching a score of 20 or 30 acts as a psychological turning point, helping them regain the confidence and fluidity of 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 opening batsman has amassed 376 runs at an average of 25.06, with his highest score being 100 not out.
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