Virat Kohli can't be dropped straightaway: Ashish Nehra backs under-fire India batter amid form concerns

Virat Kohli's form remains a cause of concern for Team India heading into the 2022 T20 World Cup. Kohli has so far had an dismal run in the ongoing England tour -- with scores of 11, 20, 1 and 11 in the one-off Test and last two T20Is respectively -- following an ordinary IPL 2022 edition.

Kohli's century-drought at the international level also continues, with him last reaching the triple-figure mark in late 2019 (during the pre-Covid era). Hence, things aren't at its best for the former Indian captain as calls for his omission has now started doing the rounds. Recently, former Indian skipper Kapil Dev opined that Kohli can also be dropped if he doesn't return to his best, however, ex-India pacer Ashish Nehra has backed the star batter.

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“There will be discussions even if you're not a player of Kohli's calibre. When you are playing, you try to focus on your game and not listen to so-called 'outside voices' from people outside the dressing room. It's important how your teammates, management and selectors are backing you... but we are talking about a guy like Virat. Yes, it's not written anywhere that he will keep playing for India even if he doesn't score runs. But when you have done so much in the past, you will always get extra chances," said Nehra in a virtual interaction organised bySony Sports.

“Everybody knows his accomplishments and the talent he has. At the age of 33, fitness isn't a problem for him. Everybody is hopeful that Virat will come good, the quicker the better. Let's hope we see a different Virat after the West Indies series. If he rests for a month or five odd weeks, it will be helpful for him.”

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On Kapil Dev's recent comments on Kohli, suggesting him to be dropped, the 2011 ODI World Cup winner Nehra said, "Yes, you get dropped when you don't perform. However, there are many ifs and buts. When you're a player like Virat who has scored runs and done so much for the country, he can't be dropped straightaway. Yes, Virat hasn't been among runs but dropping him isn't the solution. We are discussing Virat as an example. Even Rohit struggled before returning to form in the 50-over game. But he struggled in this year's IPL and other Twenty20 games. With the emergence of all formats, a player who plays across all three will get more chances to score but he can fail too."

While the noise regarding Kohli's form continues to remain high, the 33-year-old missed the ODI series opener between India and England, at The Oval, on Tuesday (July 12) owing to groin injury. He is likely to miss the second and penultimate match as well, on Thursday (July 14), as Rohit Sharma & Co. eye for an unassailable 2-0 lead.