Legendary Australian batter Allan Border expressed concerns over India’s Virat Kohli’s recent below-par performances in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, suggesting that the star batter has ‘lost his edge’.
The right-handed batter is going through a rough patch, with his latest failure being a 16-ball three in the first innings of the ongoing third Test against Australia.
Kohli’s struggles are primarily linked with his inability to leave the deliveries outside the off-stump channel.
His dismissal against Josh Hazlewood in the aforementioned fixture was his second such in the ongoing series, while most of his dismissals in the last two years have also come due to him edging wide deliveries.
“Today’s dismissal, that’s normally a delivery he would have left alone if he was in his best possible form," former Australian captain Allan Border said, as quoted by Fox Sports. “I’m not sure what’s going on with Virat mentally (and) whether he’s just lost that edge."
Former England captain Michael Vaughan echoed Border’s concerns, stating that Kohli has not been bowled a ‘jaffa’.
“He’s a player who’s going out there (and) almost trying to get on top too soon," Vaughan said. “When he plays at his best, particularly in Australia and England when the ball does a little bit more, he just leaves the ball. Most of his dismissals in this series have been balls that he could have left. I don’t think he’s got a jaffa."
Although Virat Kohli scored a century in the ongoing series, the right-handed batter failed to maintain his form as he was dismissed for meagre scores of seven, 11 and three in his following three innings.
- Allan Border
