Former India all-rounder Kapil Dev has said that it “hurts” him to see current captain Virat Kohli go through such a prolonged dry spell without scoring a century. He went on to say that it disturbs him that a player who has been likened to the likes of Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, or Virender Sehwag is now going through a period like this.
The former cricketer who won the World Cup believes that one cannot expect people to be silent for such a significant amount of time if a player does not perform well. Notable is the fact that Kohli has not made a century for India in any of the three formats since November 2019.
“It kills me to watch such a major player suffer through such a protracted absence (with regards to a century). He is a hero to us,” Kapil Dev said.
We believe there is some responsibility on your end if you are unable to score runs: Kapil Dev
In this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL), Kohli again had a below-average season, hitting 341 runs in 16 matches with an average of below 23. After the Indian Premier League, he took some time off from playing cricket and was benched for the five-match Twenty20 International series against South Africa at home. Virat Kohli will have several opportunities to play during India’s tour to England, which will begin on July 1 with the postponed fifth Test match and continue with three Twenty20 Internationals, three One-Day Internationals, and three T20 Internationals.
“We never imagined that we would ever see a player that we could compare to Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, or Virender Sehwag. But then they arrived and forced us to compare, and now, since he hasn’t done so for the last two years, it is upsetting me and all of us,” said Kapil.
“We are familiar with the game of cricket because we have played it, and after that, it is their responsibility to enhance their cognitive process, not ours. If you can disprove our assumptions, we will be pleased. We believe there is room for improvement if you are unable to score runs. Only one thing, namely your performance, is brought to our attention. And don’t expect them to be silent if the performance isn’t up to par. They won’t. Your performance and your bat should be the only things that speak for you,” he continued.
