Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri has expressed confidence that Indian batter Virat Kohli can reclaim his best form in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Test series against Australia, despite struggling with consistency in recent months. Kohli, who has been one of the most prolific batters, has faced a dip in his performances, with his last notable score being a half-century.
Kohli's recent Test scores have been far from his usual high standards. Over the past few months, he has managed only one half-century and most recently he was seen struggling against New Zealand in the three-match Test series.
“Well, the King is back in his territory. That's all I will tell them,” Shastri said on The ICC Review.
“When you've earned that title after your exploits in Australia, it will be on your (opponent's) mind when you go out to bat.”
Shastri expressed optimism keeping Kohli’s impressive record in Australia in mind. In the past, Kohli has been a standout performer against Australia in Australia. However, Shastri also warned Kohli to be cautious in his approach while batting in Australia.
“Your juices are flowing, you're charged up. It's again a case with Virat. You want to see calmness because at times you are overeager to get out there and throw the first punch," Shastri said.
“But I think that calmness in the first half an hour where he gets out to bat or in the first three innings of the series will be extremely important. If he can be calm and play the game at his own pace rather than being in a hurry, I think he'll be fine.”