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Virat Kohli's recent struggles with the bat, which spanned through Border-Gavaskar Trophy, have become a big headache for Team India. Following a disastrous 2024-25 season, marked by a humiliating 0-3 home defeat to New Zealand and a 1-3 loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-2025 Test series against Australia, the team is undergoing a transition phase. Despite a century in the series opener against Australia in Perth, Kohli's overall performance in the series was underwhelming. He managed only 190 runs in nine innings with a dismal average of 23.75. His struggles continued from the preceding home series against New Zealand, where he scored just 93 runs in six innings at an average of 15.5. This decline has seen his Test average dip below 47 for the first time in a decade, raising serious questions about his selection for the upcoming tour of England.
Kohli's poor form appears to stem from more than just a temporary slump. Technical issues seem to be plaguing his batting. A recurring issue of edging deliveries from pacers outside the off-stump to the wicket-keeper or slip fielders. Kohli's struggles have also cast a shadow on the Indian team's coaching staff. With several Indian batters experiencing similar difficulties, questions are being raised about the team's ability to address these issues effectively. However, some argue that a coach's impact on a player of Kohli's caliber may be limited.
Former India bowling coach Bharat Arun shed light on Kohli's approach to coaching input. He revealed that Kohli is known to question suggestions and demand strong justifications for proposed changes. Arun recalled how Ravi Shastri successfully guided Kohli through a crucial technical adjustment following his disastrous 2014 tour of England. However, Arun cautioned that the current coaching staff may not possess the same level of authority or influence as Shastri, making it challenging to effectively guide a player of Kohli's stature.
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"Virat will ask questions when you suggest, obviously he's world no.1 batter. He will ask how are you saying this, what mistake did I make? I scored runs, why did you not tell me at that time?," said Arun on former cricketer Subramanium Badrinath's YouTube channel.
“Shastri told him, ‘You stand on the leg stump and the ball swings in England. You cannot stand here, stand on the middle stump, come out of the crease. You are the owner of the crease. Kohli followed this in Australia and scored four centuries. To say this to Kohli, one needs to have the kind of stature and confidence that Ravi Shastri had, which I think the current coaching staff does not have,” he added.
