Former India batting coach Vikram Rathour has spoken about Virat Kohli’s poor run with the bat that lasted for over two years.
Virat Kohli, one of the most prolific run-scorers in the history of international cricket, had a tough time with the bat from late 2019 to 2022. Luck had virtually deserted the former India captain during that phase as he failed to live up to expectations. He also struggled with the bat in the IPL.
He had failed to score a single international century in 2020 and 2021 before finally ending the drought with a century against Afghanistan in the 2022 Asia Cup. The century had ended a remarkable drought of 1021 days. In 2023, Virat Kohli ended his three-year drought of a hundred in Tests by scoring one against Australia.
The former India captain finally regained his best form in 2023 and has not looked back since. He was the leading run-scorer in last year’s ODI World Cup, scoring a staggering 765 runs as India finished second. Earlier this year, the batting stalwart impressed in the IPL as well and finished the tournament as the leading run-scorer.
There were no technical issues: Vikram Rathour
As Virat Kohli struggled to bat during the poor run, he understandably faced harsh criticism from various quarters. There were also widespread calls for him to be dropped from the team. Recalling that phase, Vikram Rathour said that there were no technical issues with Kohli’s batting. He revealed that he constantly asked Kohli to believe in his methods and continue to work hard.
“There were no technical issues that we specifically worked on during this phase. The constant message we were sending to him was to keep working hard and believe in his methods. In the end he came back stronger and became an even better player,” Vikram Rathour was quoted as saying by the Deccan Herald.
Meanwhile, Kohli recently helped India win the T20 World Cup by shining with the bat in the final. Having managed to score just 75 runs in the entire competition before the final, the right-handed batsman scored 76 runs in the title decider as India beat South Africa by 7 runs to win the T20 World Cup after 17 years.