'He is becoming liability': Former Pakistan cricketer slams Virat Kohli after poor show in 2nd T20I vs England

Virat Kohli's disastrous run with the bat continued in the second T20I between India and England at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Saturday (July 09). Kohli made his much-awaited comeback to the Indian T20I team after four months in the second game of the series after missing the series-opener. All eyes were on the batting maestro, who was expected to fire all cylinders and respond to his critics in style amid his lean patch.

However, Kohli failed to get going once again as he endured yet another disappointing outing with the bat. The former India skipper was dismissed after scoring just 1 run off three balls and failed to make an impact in the game. He was roped into the playing XI in the place of in-form Deepak Hooda but failed to justify his inclusion.

Kohli was expected to open the batting with skipper Rohit Sharma after Ishan Kishan was dropped from the XI but India instead promoted wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant at the top in a move that surprised many. Kohli came out to bat his usual no.3 spot but it was the same story for the Indian star.

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Former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria slammed Kohli for his poor show in the 2nd T20I and said he is becoming a liability for Team India now. Kaneria believes Kohli should give up his spot in India's T20I squad if he cannot bounce back to form ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia this year.

"When the big guns were out, even then the team was performing, the youngsters were doing the job. The big player should understand that he is becoming a liability to the team. Virat Kohli has become a liability now. So, either he needs to give up his place or make a comeback before the T20 World Cup," Kaneria said in a video on his YouTube channel.

Kohli was playing only his 3rd T20I for India since leaving captaincy in the shortest format last year. He did not feature in the home series against New Zealand last year and also missed the series against Sri Lanka and South Africa this year. He has been enduring a lean patch across formats in international cricket over the last few years and has struggled to score runs consistently.

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However, despite his poor show in the game on Saturday, India managed to beat England comprehensively by 49 runs in the 2nd T20I to register their second win on the trot and clinch the three-match series 2-0. India will now aim for a clean sweep when they take on England in the 3rd and final T20I on Sunday (July 10).