Virat Kohli is trying a ‘bit too hard’ and is caught in ‘middle the ball vs scoring runs’ battle in his effort to come out of the lean patch, felt former cricketers Robin Uthappa and Anil Kumble. Since the 2023 ODI World Cup, the former India captain Kohli has hit just one fifty (against England earlier this month) while scoring 137 runs in six ODI innings.
Following his fifty against England in Ahmedabad (in the third ODI), the stage was set for the right-hander against Bangladesh in Dubai during the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Coming in at one down and India at 69/1 in the chase of 229, Virat Kohli struggled to get going to get into rhythm before eventually trying to cut leg-spinner Rishad Hossain and hole out to Soumya Sarkar at backward point. During his 38-ball stay, Virat Kohli could manage only 22 runs.
Although India won the game by six wickets to start off their campaign in ICC Champions Trophy, Virat Kohli’s form remained a concern before the high-octane clash against Pakistan on Sunday.
Former India batter Robin Uthappa believes Kohli is currently caught in a mental battle rather than just a technical slump. Speaking on Star Sports, Uthappa observed that Kohli is more fixated on middling the ball rather than focusing on run-scoring, which is affecting his natural flow.
“Virat, the great batter that he is, will have to address himself because, I think in a sense he’s in his head a little bit. It feels like that from the outside. It feels like he’s looking to middle the ball versus when he actually is batting well, he’s looking to get runs,” Uthappa said.
“He’s not worried about middling the ball because the intent itself is different. And I think he’s trying to break free from that space of trying to middle the ball versus scoring runs and he’s finding himself caught in between is what I’m feeling from the outside. I think it’s a matter of time, the minute he frees his head up and just goes out there and expresses himself, the runs will flow,” Uthappa said.
