It is time for India to move on from Virat Kohli and go in search of the next Rahul Dravid or Sachin Tendulkar or Sourav Ganguly, according to former England captain David Lloyd.
Lloyd noted that Kohli, 36, does not have age on his side and needs to accept that he is no longer the player he once was. While he said Kohli is a generational great, the former England batsman felt it is time to move on.
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Kohli has just 190 runs in nine innings in the Border Gavaskar Trophy and just three hundreds in Tests since 2020. India lost the series for the first time in a decade, as Kohli’s penchant for making deliveries outside off stump was cited as one of the reasons for the debacle.
“Virat Kohli knows that he is past his prime and that will hurt him. When India comes to England, you will know where she will be. Just outside the stump, and the commercial area will be the docks. At 36 years old, he mentally knows what he should do. Your reflexes go smoothly. Ponting said it continued a little bit longer than usual,” Lloyd told talkSport Cricket.
Lloyd felt that it is necessary for the Indian selectors to find players to play the role of Kohli, who has 9,230 Tests, including 30 hundreds and 31 fifties.
“The selectors should know that. He’s one of the best players we’ve seen, but he’s past his prime. Coach Gautam Gambhir will have a huge influence, a huge influence, because he has been in that dressing room. When you talk about great cricketers, the one thing that the rest don’t have is time. You’ve wasted time. It’s gone. His time is up. “It comes with age,” he said.
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India have also been stuck in the longest format, having lost 0-3 to New Zealand at home before the series in Australia cost them a place in the World Test Championship final, the first time since the start of the tournament.
Lloyd felt that India’s huge talent pool can help them discover a cricketer of the caliber of Tendulkar, Dravid or Ganguly. The legendary trio have worked in Indian cricket for over two decades and have scored a combined total of over 35,000 Tests.
“If I was involved, I would feel encouraged. Maybe you will find a new Dravid, a new Tendulkar or a new Ganguly because that is how they also got into the team,” he said.
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