“It Has Backfired”: Former Pakistan Captain Blames Ravi Shastri For Virat Kohli’s Lean Patch | Cricket News

It has been over two years since Virat Kohli scored a ton in international cricket. As India embark on the Tour of England, all eyes will be on the former India captain. During the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022,  former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri had said Kohli needs to take a break in order to freshen up his mind. “I think a break is ideal for him because he has played non-stop cricket and he has captained the side across all formats. It will be wise of him to take a break. You know, sometimes you have to draw the balance,” Shastri had said.

To which, Kohli later said in an interview: “”It’s not that a lot of people have mentioned it (taking break). There is one person precisely who mentioned it, which is Ravi bhai…I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. It’s a healthy thing with the amount of cricket we play. It’s about finding balance and that balance which is right for you as an individual. I will definitely discuss this with all the people involved – Rahul Bhai, the Indian team management, everyone to chart out whatever is best for myself and the team.”

Now, former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has made a tall claim that Ravi Shastri is the reason behind Kohli’s poor form. Although he said it without explaining how or why.

“It is because of him, all this has happened with him (Kohli). Had he not been the coach, he (Kohli) would not have been sitting out,” Rashid Latif said in a discussion on YouTube channel Caught Behind when asked about Shastri’s suggestion to Kohli about taking a break from cricket.

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“What happened in 2019 (2017) was that a player like Anil Kumble was sidelined. Ravi Shastri came in his place. Whether he had the ability or not, I don’t know. He was a broadcaster. He had no business becoming coach, absolutely no business. There were others (apart from Virat Kohli) who brought Ravi Shastri in. It is backfiring. In fact, it has backfired.”

Shastri was appointed head coach of the Indian team in 2017 after a controversial ouster of Anil Kumble from that position. Shastri held the head coach’s position till 2021.