Former Sri Lanka batter Mahela Jayawardene said India star batter Virat Kohli is a quality player and has all the skills needed to come out of his prolonged dip in form while Virat Kohli and KL Rahul on Monday got back to a 15-member Indian squad for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Former Sri Lanka batter Mahela Jayawardene said India star batter Virat Kohli is a quality player and has all the skills needed to come out of his prolonged dip in form.
Virat Kohli and KL Rahul on Monday got back to a 15-member Indian squad for the upcoming Asia Cup scheduled to be held in Dubai and Sharjah from August 27 to September 11.
Kohli is struggling with the bat and has not scored a century in international cricket since November 2019.
His last task was the England tour where he could only manage to score 76 runs from six innings across formats, which included the rescheduled fifth Test, two ODIs, and a huge number in July.
The Former Indian captain is dropped out of the Caribbean series and the upcoming ODIs against Zimbabwe.
“It is unfortunate what Virat is going through right now at the moment, but he is a quality player,”
said Jayawardene in the latest episode of The ICC Review show.
“I believe Virat has the tools to come out of it (the form slump). He has done that in the past as well and I’m sure he’ll come through this. Class is permanent and form is temporary.”
Jayawardene feels lack of game time could be an issue for Rahul as he prepares for the mega event.
“That (Rahul’s lack of cricket) would be a concern for India. He has been out for a little while since the IPL, so having game time is quite crucial especially out there in the middle.
“The sooner he can get some game time and get that confidence back, the better. It will help him, as well as the national team.”
The former Sri Lanka skipper feels India should go with a left-hand opener, ideally, Rishabh Pant, with the right-hand Rohit Sharma in case Rahul doesn’t make a noteworthy return to the game.
“Even though he (Pant) hasn’t done that (open the batting) much in domestic cricket, he can do that. Wherever he bats, you’re not going to change his game. He is going to be a very natural player so yes, it is an option(for pant to open).”
