Virat Kohli's contribution look less because of standard he has set, believes Anjum Chopra

07/23/2022

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Anjum Chopra believes Virat Kohli's contributions have been consistent enough to secure his place in the Indian team but they seem not enough to the people as a result of the standard he set for himself earlier in his career. She went on to reaffirm it won't be long before Kohli starts scoring runs.

The Virat Kohli discussion continues to brew two years on from his last international century, as both critics and supporters of him have grown increasingly vocal of late. For the first time in the former skipper's illustrious career, Kohli's place in the Indian lineup for an ICC marquee event is up for debate.

Recently, the 33-year-old failed to make an impact on the tour of England, where he played all three formats. Across six innings, he managed a paltry 76 runs at an awful average of 12.33. Nevertheless, the former Indian Women's captain Anjum Chopra is still firm in her support of the talisman, as she explained the trials and tribulations a cricketer goes through.

"Virat Kohli himself knows what he needs. When you do not score as per your standards, you practice more. I am sure that he is practising, is doing, and will keep doing everything to back in form. The way international cricket goes, practice is the only way out. A player can only try and make the effort. And a player like him must be trying and trying to get out of the slump. But sometimes, things do not go your way. The kind of adulation and focus he has had on him over the years, this dip was bound to happen sometime," she said in an exclusive interview with ANI.

Despite the so-labeled slump, Virat Kohli averages nearly 45 across his last 30 ODI innings, while the average stays above 35 if you take only the last 20 innings into consideration. However, from 2017-2019, Kohli had scored 17 centuries and averaged a stunning 79 in the format. Such astronomical numbers make the present statistics look pale, according to Chopra.

"I have seen players scoring 30s and 40s and surviving in the Indian team for years. But from his bat, the 30s and 40s look less because of the standard he has set for himself. I am sure that it will be a matter of time that he will be back among runs for the Indian team," she stated.

The Delhite is presently on rest from the West Indies tour and his next appearance is pending any further squad announcements.