Former England cricketer David Llyod has cast aspersions on the future of Indian batter Virat Kohli, noting that he is a ‘great’ cricketer but past his prime.
Lloyd also stated that Indian coach Gautam Gambhir will have a big say in Kohli’s future.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Lloyd said: “Virat Kohli knows he is past his best and that will hurt. When India comes to England, you know where he’s going to be. Just outside off stump, and the business area will be the slips. At 36 years of age, up in the mind, he knows what he should be doing. Your reflexes gently go. Ponting said he carried on a bit longer than he usually would have. The selectors should know. He is one of the greatest players we have seen, but is past his best. The coach Gautam Gambhir will have an enormous say, a big say, because he has been in that dressing room. He has lost time. His time is over.”
“The one thing when you talk about great cricketers, that the rest haven’t, is time. He has lost time. It’s gone. His time’s gone. It comes with age. Everyone tells you what you need to be doing. Stuff like ‘leave the ball’ watch it till the end. But it’s gone. These are great international bowlers. If it’s a repetitive way of getting out – in a Test match you know there’s going to be a bank of slips. If you keep nicking off, it’s a telltale sign for anybody that reflexes and reaction time is gone,” the former cricketer said.
Notably, Virat Kohli has had a recurring problem with deliveries outside off stump ever since his first tour of England in 2014.
However, the batsman has so far managed to find a way to deal with these deliveries.
In the recent past, Kohli’s Achilles’ heel has been the 5th stump deliveries, leading to disappointing scores in recent series.
In the recently concluded Border Gavaskar Trophy, Kohli was dismissed caught behind in all his innings, suggesting that there is a major problem with his technique that the former India captain is unable to fix.
Meanwhile, with a string of low scores ahead of the Champions Trophy Squad selection, questions have also been asked about whether Kohli deserves a place in the marquee tournament.
(Agencies)
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