Virat Kohli is overcooked, if anyone needs a break it's him: Ravi Shastri on RCB star's woeful form

Virat Kohli has been enduring a torrid run for his franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. After a string of poor performances in the last few games, Kohli's rough patch continued in RCB's clash against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Tuesday as he was dismissed on a Golden Duck by Sri Lankan pacer Dushmantha Chameera.

Kohli was caught on the very first ball he faced in the game as he was sent packing without managing to open his account. However, his personal form didn't come to haunt RCB, who managed to post a strong total of 181 runs on the board riding on skipper Faf du Plessis' 96 and won the game by 18 runs to move to the second spot on the points table.

Nonetheless, Kohli's dismissal became one of the major talking points of the game. Talking about his lean patch, former India head coach Ravi Shastri stated that if any player needs a break at the moment then it's Kohli. Shastri said Kohli looks overcooked and is in desperate need of some time off from the game.

The former India head coach wants the BCCI and the national selectors to give Kohli a break post the conclusion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in order to ensure that Kohli doesn't lose the 6-7 years of cricket that is still left in him at the top level.

"When I was coach at the time when this first started, the first thing I said is 'you have to show empathy to the guys'. If you're going to be forceful, there is a very thin line there, from a guy losing the plot as opposed to him hanging in there and giving his best. So you have to be extremely careful," Ravi Shastri said on Star Sports after RCB's win over LSG on Tuesday.

"I am going straight to the main guy here. Virat Kohli is overcooked. If anyone needs a break, it's him. Whether it's 2 months or a month-and-a-half, whether it's after England or before England.

"He needs a break because he has got 6-7 years of cricket left in him and you don't want to lose that with a fried brain. He is not the only one. There might be 1 or 2 in world cricket going through the same. You need to address the problem upfront," he added.

Kohli had given up RCB's captaincy following the conclusion of IPL 2021 last year. The expectations were high from the superstar batter this season as he was playing without the extra baggage of leading the side. However, his performances have not been up to the mark as he has struggled for consistency.

Kohli has so far managed only 119 runs in seven matches for his franchise at a strike rate of 123.96 and a poor average of 19.83. The former RCB skipper's form is a huge concern for both his franchise and the Indian team ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia later this year.