Virat Kohli only scored 38 runs in New Zealand Test series
Team India selector MSK Prasad on Tuesday jumped to Virat Kohli's defense amid criticims following the Indian skipper's 38-run Test series against New Zealand. Kohli managed scores of 2, 19, 3 and 14 in the two-match away series, averaging only 9.50 - his worst since the horror tour of England in 2014. In fact, in the entire three-fixture tour of New Zealand, Kohli managed only 228 runs with one half-century across the three formats.
“We are talking about a legend who has been a run-machine for many years,” Prasad was quoted as saying by ANI. “He is also a human and he can have one odd series where he doesn’t perform. One series should not go against him, he has been a phenomenal player.”
Earlier in the day, former Indian skipper Kapil Dev opined that reflexes and eyesight weaken after a person crosses 30 and hence Kohli needs to practice more against the straight deliveries.
“When you reach a certain age, when you cross 30 then it affects your eyesight,” Kapil told ABP News. “In swings, which used to be his strength, he used to flick them four but now he has been dismissed twice. So I think he needs to adjust his eyesight a bit.”
“When big players start getting bowled or LBW to incoming deliveries then you have to tell them to practice more. It shows that your eyes and your reflexes have slowed down a bit and in no time your strengths turn into your weakness,” he added.
The series has had an impact on Kohli's ranking as well as he lost his top spot to Steve Smith and slipped to the second position.
