Virat Kohli’s form in recent times has been a concern for the Indian team management and selectors as we approach the ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai. The former Indian captain has been down on confidence and has been looking a pale shadow of his former self in the recent matches. He has suffered badly in the Test matches and has amassed 382 runs in 10 Test matches he played since September, at just 22.47, with a century and fifty to his name.
Kohli has been a prolific run scorer in the ODI format, but he was not able to score runs in the last ODI series that India played in Sri Lanka in August 2024. Kohli has faced issues against both pace and spin. He needs to be back among the runs in the upcoming CT 2025 if India needs to win the tournament.
“Just tell him you have a match against Pakistan”: Shoaib Akhtar
Meanwhile, former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has given an idea about how to get Kohli back to form. Akhtar has stated that Kohli should be reminded that India will play a match against Pakistan in the upcoming Champions Trophy.
“If you want to wake up Virat Kohli, just tell him you have a match against Pakistan. Look at that innings he played in Melbourne. Hopefully, Babar Azam will do that for Pakistan. Unfortunately, Saim Ayub is injured. I was looking forward to his partnership with Fakhar Zaman. It would have been a destructive opening pair,” he said.
Kohli has been a prolific run scorer against Pakistan and has always stood up in big moments against their arch-rivals. India will face off against Pakistan in the group stage of CT 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on February 23. Pakistan got their first win in the World Cup against India at the same venue during the T20 World Cup in 2021.
Kohli suffered in the T20 World Cup 2024 as well. However, he played a crucial innings in the final of the tournament to help India lift an ICC trophy after 13 long years. Along with Kohli, the pressure is on captain Rohit Sharma to deliver in the CT 2025.
