File photo of Virat Kohli.© BCCI
India’s star batter Virat Kohli missed the entire five-match Test series against England after taking a paternity break. He was blessed with a baby boy in February this year. The star batter will be seen in action in the upcoming Indian Premier League that kicks off on March 22. Kohli is yet to join his team Royal Challengers Bangalore in their pre-tournament camp. While RCB had to start their preparation without their numero uno, former India player Mohammad Kaif has backed Kohli to come out solid after the break.
“Virat Kohli has been playing amazing cricket for the last 1-2 years; he has been in good form. I remember during the Asia Cup when he scored a century against Afghanistan; since then, he hasn’t looked back. He has been in amazing form since then, and when a player like Virat Kohli is in form, he knows how to make runs in every match; he was also the player of the tournament during the World Cup. So I think he’s going to continue this amazing form,” Kaif told in Star Sports show “Game Plan”.
“One special thing about Virat Kohli is that every time he comes back from a break, he plays really well. Most players want to be in touch and play regularly to get in form, but Virat Kohli every time when he comes back from the break, he comes across as a more dangerous batsman. Yes, there are Green and Maxwell in the team, but Virat Kohli’s form will decide RCB’s place in the playoffs. It’s important that Virat Kohli is in form with Maxwell and Green for RCB to qualify for the playoffs,” he added.
Kohli might take a few more days to join before RCB start their IPL campaign against reigning champions Chennai Super Kings on March 22.
Most of the domestic players joined the camp under the guidance of new head coach Andy Flower and Director of Cricket Mo Bobat and they went through the paces on the opening day of the camp on Wednesday.
While skipper Faf du Plessis was in attendance along with West Indies fast bowler Alzarri Joseph, Kohli, easily the biggest ‘Box Office’ in Indian cricket, is yet to hit the straps after the paternity break.
(With PTI Inputs)
Topics mentioned in this article
