'Virat Kohli Will Always Get Extra Chances, Can't Be Dropped Straightaway' - Ashish Nehra

Virat Kohli will not be dropped and will be given multiple chances due to his stature and talent, opined former India pacer, Ashish Nehra. This comes after the right-hander’s ongoing poor run of form which continued on the ongoing England tour as well.

Kohli failed to come good in the fifth and final Test against England in Edgbaston despite getting good starts. And then after being rested from the first T20I, he managed only 12 runs in the next two matches with his scores being 1 and 11. However, Kohli showcased his traditional style of hitting shots, which included a four and a straight flick for a six.

Kohli missed the first ODI against England after sustaining a groin strain and it remains to be seen whether he will return for the remaining two games at Lord’s (July 14) and Manchester (July 17).

Scores of 11, 20, 1, and 11 in his last four innings for India mean the mercurial batter has not scored an international century in any format since 2019. The 33-year-old also witnessed his worst IPL season for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 13 years.

Everybody Knows His Accomplishments And The Talent He Has: Ashish Nehra On Virat Kohli

India pacer Ashish Nehra has backed the former skipper, saying he deserves extra chances based on his past reputation amidst the calls for him being dropped from the India T20I side.

“There will be discussions even if you’re not a player of Kohli’s calibre. When you are playing, you try to focus on your game and not listen to so-called ‘outside voices’ from people outside the dressing room.

“It’s important how your teammates, management and selectors are backing you… but we are talking about a guy like Virat. Yes, it’s not written anywhere that he will keep playing for India even if he doesn’t score runs. But when you have done so much in the past, you will always get extra chances,” said Nehra in a virtual interaction organised by Sony Sports.

He further said that given his stature, a player like Virat Kohli will always get extra chances to come good and will not be dropped from the team.

“Everybody knows his accomplishments and the talent he has. At the age of 33, fitness isn’t a problem for him.

“Everybody is hopeful that Virat will come good, the quicker the better. Let’s hope we see a different Virat after the West Indies series. If he rests for a month or five odd weeks, it will be helpful for him,” Nehra added.

“Yes, you get dropped when you don’t perform. However, there are many ifs and buts. When you’re a player like Virat who has scored runs and done so much for the country, he can’t be dropped straightaway.

“Yes, Virat hasn’t been among runs but dropping him isn’t the solution. We are discussing Virat as an example. Even Rohit struggled before returning to form in the 50-over game. But he struggled in this year’s IPL and other Twenty20 games.

“With the emergence of all formats, a player who plays across all three will get more chances to score but he can fail too,” Nehra explained.

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