Virat Kohli, 36, is nearing the twilight stage of his international career, and should he not follow Cheteshwar Pujara’s path of opting to play some county cricket matches in the lead-up to England Tests later in June, he could hurt his chances of retaining his place in the India playing XI, the former cricketer-turned-broadcaster Sanjay Manjrekar said.
Kohli failed with the bat against New Zealand and Australia, scoring 91 and 190 runs in the two series respectively. Though he scored a hundred in the series opener in Perth, hitting an unbeaten 100 and helping India draw first blood in the BGT, Kohli fell to the off-side trap six times in nine outings Down Under.
Being unable to restrain from chasing the outgoing delivery has cost him and India, with Manjrekar saying Kohli must spend time in English County cricket to find a solution.
Speaking on Star Sports’ Deep Point podcast, Manjrekar said Kohli needs to play plenty of red-ball cricket to return to where he belongs—on the top. Suggesting how to achieve this sooner, he added Kohli must follow Pujara’s path and join one of the county sides.
“Kohli needs to play a lot of red-ball cricket. The first Test in England is in June, while the County Championship begins in April. He could join a county team, like Pujara did, and gain valuable match practice," Manjrekar said.
“India can then evaluate his performances in the initial Test matches. If there are positive signs, he can continue. But the last thing you want is Kohli going there and struggling, as we’ve seen before. That wouldn’t be good for Indian cricket. Playing County cricket could be a very sensible move for him," he added.
Others disagree
While Manjrekar stressed the importance of playing County, especially for Kohli, his fellow panel mates and former Indian cricketers, Sanjay Bangar and Deep Dasgupta, shared different views.
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“I’m still backing him. Even at 36 (years old), he’s as fit as ever. His fitness levels are remarkable, and I believe he can continue playing at the highest level," Bangar said.
“Let’s not club Rohit and Virat together," Dasgupta said.
“Just like in the previous generation of Indian cricket, where Sachin (Tendulkar) and Rahul (Dravid) were different, you have to evaluate each player individually.”
"For Rohit, the next five months of predominantly international white-ball cricket and the IPL will be crucial. The weight of his performances in these formats will be telling. Beyond that, factors like his first-class cricket form, fitness levels, and performance in the Champions Trophy will also be important. The final decision rests with the selectors,” he added.
(With inputs from agencies)