Indian batsman and former captain Virat Kohli has been struggling for runs for a long time. That elusive 71st international century has been avoiding him for quite some time now. His last international century came in the 2019 home Test vs Bangladesh. Since then, Virat has struggled to score big scores in international cricket and IPL several times in the 70s, 80s and 90s. His IPL 2022 was also poor as he scored more than 300 runs in 16 matches with just 2 fifties. Even the nature of those fifties was rough. Kohli’s Test average fell below 50 for the first time in less than 50 years. These are signs that Kohli’s touch may be fading. However, Kohli is doing all the basics right, getting the process right and continues to believe in his ability.
Taking a jibe at his poor performance, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi, who is known all over the world for making controversial statements, said that Virat Kohli doesn’t want to be World No 1 anymore.
“In cricket, attitude matters the most. That’s what I talk about the most. Do you have attitude towards cricket or not? Kohli, earlier in his career, wanted to be the No. 1 batsman in the world… Is he still playing cricket with the same motivation? That’s the big question. He has class. But does he really want to be No. 1 again? Or does he think he has achieved everything in life? Now just relax and spend time? It’s all about attitude,” Afridi said on Sama TV.
Afridi may be pointing to Kohli’s recent remarks that he now wants to play for the team and not look for personal gains. As long as his team is doing well, he is happy. He wants to contribute to the success of the team. In the upcoming Test and limited overs match vs England in his own den, Kohli may be back at his best in the series. Only time will tell how well he did. Whether he comes back or his powers are waning.