India legend questions Virat Kohli’s place in the team

Former India skipper Kapil Dev insists that Rahul Dravid should prioritise playing in-form players over those with reputations like Virat Kohli.
The form of erstwhile captain Virat Kohli across all three formats over the past couple of years has been a cause of grave concern within India and speculation in the media.
Weighing in on Kohli’s current place in the Indian T20I setup, Kapil Dev told ABP News: “Play in-form players when you have loads of options. You can’t just go by reputation, but you have to look for current form. You can be an established player but that doesn’t mean that you will be given chances even if you fail five games in a row.”
Dev believes that if a bowler with the pedigree of Ravichandran Ashwin could be left out of the Test side, then Virat Kohli can also be dropped.
Ashwin did not feature in a single match of India’s five-match Test series in England which was split across 2021 and 2022.
“If world No. 2 Test bowler Ashwin can be dropped from Test side then your No. 1 batter can also be dropped,” Dev said.
While Kohli has been rested in white-ball cricket, the likes of Deepak Hooda have performed brilliantly, playing an explosive brand of cricket.
Hooda, impressed with a century during the tour of Ireland and scored a quick-fire 33 in the first T20I against England.
However, he could not retain his slot at three for the second T20I, with Kohli returning to the side as India took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series but the former skipper was dismissed for 1 by England debutant Richard Gleeson.
Other young players like Shreyas Iyer have also staked a solid claim to be a part of the Indian middle-order over the last year.
Dev opined that fierce competition for places will be positive for India team as they amp up the preparation for the 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia.
“If he isn’t performing, you can’t continue to keep these boys out,” Dev added.
“I hope there’s a healthy fight for selection, the youngsters should look to outperform Kohli. But Kohli needs to think, ‘yes at one point I was a big player, but I need to play like that No. 1 player again’. That’s a problem for the team, it’s not a bad problem.
Latest
-
News
Reece Topley ‘undercooked’ as England prepare for World Cup opener
The seamer and his team-mates have seen limited action since arriving in India ahead of their first clash against New Zealand on Thursday.
-
England
A look at changing nature of international calendar ahead of Cricket World Cup
England have played fewer ODIs heading into this tournament than for any World Cup in almost 30 years.
-
England
England complete World Cup preparations with rain-affected win over Bangladesh
England start the defence of their World Cup trophy against New Zealand on Thursday.
-
England
Jos Buttler will let England’s white-ball legacy be decided by others
Eight members from the class of 2019 are in England’s 15-strong squad for the defence of their 50-over crown in India, which starts this week.
-
News
5 players to watch at the Cricket World Cup in India
England take on New Zealand in Thursday’s tournament opener.
-
England
Can England defend their crown? – World Cup talking points
The tournament takes place in India.
-
County Cricket
Middlesex relegated from Division One as Kent survive on dramatic final day
Middlesex fell just short of the victory they needed at Nottinghamshire to stay up instead of Kent.
-
India
England captain Jos Buttler believes India are favourites for World Cup
The last three editions of the Cricket World Cup – India in 2011, Australia in 2015 and England in 2019 – have been won by the host nation.
-
County Cricket
Surrey retain County Championship title after Essex batting collapse
The holders have been crowned champions for the 21st time.
-
County Cricket
Geoffrey Boycott: Everybody in Newcastle hates Mike Ashley amid Headingley links
The PA news agency understands the Frasers Group, where Ashley is chief executive, is one of the parties interested in purchasing Headingley.