IND vs ENG: Mushtaq Ahmed Says Virat Kohli Is Undergoing Same Thing That Happened To Jonathan Trott

Former Pakistan spinner Mushtaq Ahmed has opined on Virat Kohli’s ongoing struggles with the bat and compared his issues with what former England batter Jonathan Trott underwent and said that Kohli needs a solid 3-4 months break from cricket to come back rejuvenated.

In the second ODI of the series on Thursday – Kohli’s comeback game after he was forced to miss the first match due to a groin injury – the star batter’s poor run continued as he was dismissed on 16. India went on to lose the match by 100 runs chasing 247 to win at Lord’s.

This meant Kohli is yet to cross the 20-run mark in the tour of England; in five innings, he registered scores of 11 and 20 (rescheduled fifth Test), 1 and 11 (two T20Is), and 16.

Mushtaq Ahmed has been analyzing Virat Kohli’s batting struggles for some time and in a chat with Cricket Pakistan, revealed that the Indian batter is undergoing the same struggle that Jonathan Trott suffered.

Ahmed was spin-bowling coach of the English team from 2008 until 2014 and recalled the similar struggles of Jonathan Trott.

“He’s one of the best players in the world. I remember at one point, Jonathan Trott was scoring a lot of runs for England. Then came a period when he just couldn’t score runs, there could’ve been family issues, mindset, exhaustion, or any other factor for that. Our biggest mistake was that we didn’t drop him,” Ahmed said in an interview with Cricket Pakistan.

Virat Kohli Will Have To Skip A Big Series- Mushtaq Ahmed Suggests Break For Indian Batter

It has been well documented that Virat Kohli has been unable to score a century since November 2019, when his last three-figure score came against Bangladesh in a Test match in Kolkata.

Mushtaq Ahmed further suggested that Kohli should skip a big series and instead take a 3-4 month long break to rejuvenate and come back to cricket with a fresh mind and dominate as he did previously.

“In such a situation, Virat Kohli will have to skip a big series. He has to take a 3-4 month break from cricket. When I used to be dropped, or even rested, and watched my teammates on television, it affected my mindset positively. You become more intense in your training,” the former Pakistan spinner further said.

“If Virat returns after three months, he would forget that he has scored 27 centuries in Tests or 40+ centuries in ODIs. Then, he would make a fresh start and the concentration levels will go high. When someone is hungry, they would relish the food even more. It’s the same with cricket. When you come back after 3-4 months, your energy level and mindset would be completely changed,” he added.

Also Read: IND vs ENG: He Needs A Break From The Game – Michael Vaughan On Virat Kohli’s Struggles