In a bold statement, former England cricketer David Lloyd has opined that Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli’s time in Test cricket is over, claiming that the former Indian captain has gone past his prime and may no longer be the force he once was in the longest format of the game. His remarks follow Virat Kohli’s disastrous performance with bat in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
“Virat Kohli knows he is past his best and that will hurt. When India come 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,” he said while speaking to talkSPORT Cricket
“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 Test match you know there's going to be a bank of slips'. If you keep nicking off, it's a tell-tell sign for anybody that reflexes and reaction time is gone,” he added.
Virat Kohli, meanwhile, was also seen struggling during India’s home Test series against New Zealand, which India lost 0-3.