E2BET: Virat Kohli : Team India star Virat Kohli endured arguably the worst moment of his career in the 2014 tour of England. He later revealed an interesting conversation with former head coach Ravi Shastri, who became team director after the England tour.
The 36-year-old struggled massively against the moving ball outside off-stump in the five-Test series in England in 2014. The champion batter scored 134 runs at a dismal average of 13.40 with no half-centuries in 10 innings.
Kohli’s struggles played a massive role in India losing the series 1-3 despite holding a 1-0 advantage after the first two Tests.
Recalling the discussion with Shastri after the 2014 England tour, in a conversation on BCCI.tv in 2020, Kohli said (via ESPN Cricinfo)
“Ravi bhai asked me that if I was scared of short ball. I said, ‘I am not scared and I don’t mind getting hurt but I don’t want to get out.’ He (Shastri) told me to stand outside the crease.”
He continued:
“He explained the mindset behind it: ‘You should be in control of the space you are playing in and not give the bowlers so many opportunities to get you out.’ So many dismissals get taken out when you are standing outside the crease. So I started practising that the same year and results were unbelievable.”
Kohli turned things around in the next Test tour to England in 2018, scoring 593 runs at an average of 59.30, including two centuries in five matches.
Team India will be without Virat Kohli in upcoming England tour
Yet, under his captaincy, Team India took a 2-1 series lead in England in 2021 before Covid-19 pushed the final Test to the following year when Kohli was not the captain.
The 36-year-old announced his retirement from Tests last month, meaning India will have to do without their talisman in the upcoming Test tour of England, starting June 20. Virat Kohli has been an integral part of the Indian side in their last three Test tours of England in 2014, 2018, and 2021, including captaining the team in the previous two.