Virat Kohli will return to the field after a month-long break. The high-voltage India vs Pakistan clash will be the 100th T20I of Kohli's career. There has been talk around Kohli skipping tours instead of battling through the rough patch on the field. Former India head coach Ravi Shastri, who was the first to suggest a break, feels that the break was a much-needed one as the 33-year-old will now have clarity.
“I haven't spoken to him but it's not rocket science. Big players wake up in due course. They need a break; mental fatigue can creep in to the best in the world. There is a not a single player in world cricket who has not gone through a bad patch and I am sure this downtime is not just for the body, it's time to reflect. He would have reflected as to what things he could have done better,” Shastri said in a press conference organised by Star Sports, the official broadcaster of Asia Cup 2022.
"What he didn't do right? What things he did absolutely right and should keep focusing on that. What he allowed to come into his mindset that was just not required or relevant? All these things come into play. You get an opportunity to then decide, what is the future course of action. Whether it is shot selection, or it is how you plan, when to shift gears, should I give himself more time. And now it is time for him to execute those plans."
While Kohli has not been able to score a century in international cricket for over 100 days, his last half-century in the international arena came in February. Since then, he has struggled to capitalise on starts. Despite the rough patch, Shastri thinks that a half-century in India’s campaign opener will shut critics.
“He will come back with a calmer mind, because the heat is off. You have been away. Now, what you do will get the tone. He gets a fifty in the very first game, mouths will be shut for the rest of the tournament. What's happened in the past is history. Remember, public memory is very short. So it works both ways. His opportunity here is to get that calmness and then take it one day at a time,” Shastri added.
