Virat Kohli is an Indian stalwart. However, as almost every other stalwart has faced before, he is facing a tough time in his late 30s.
Virat, 36, is nearing the end of his career, especially in the Test format if not the ODI one. Many believe he has lost his touch and is well past his best.
This is what former England cricketer David Lloyd believes too. He feels that the Indian batting maestro’s time is done and that he is gone past his best time. The dismissals in the Border-Gavaskar series outside off-stump has made his weakness lay bare.
“Virat Kohli knows he is past his best and that will hurt. When India come to England, you know where he’s going to be. Just outside off stump, and the business area will be the slips. At 36 years of age, up in the mind, he knows what he should be doing. Your reflexes gently go. Ponting said he carried on a bit longer than he usually would have,” Llyod told talkSport Cricket.
“The selectors should know. He is one of the greatest players we have seen but is past his best. The coach Gautam Gambhir will have an enormous say, a big say, because he has been in that dressing room. He has lost time. His time is over,” he added.
He stated that Kohli’s time is gone and it happens with age. “The one thing when you talk about great cricketers, that the rest haven’t, is time. He has lost time. It’s gone. His time’s gone. It comes with age. Everyone tells you what you need to be doing. Stuff like ‘leave the ball’ watch it till the end. But it’s gone.
“These are great international bowlers. If it’s a repetitive way of getting out – in a Test match you know there’s going to be a bank of slips’. If you keep nicking off, it’s a tell-tell sign for anybody that reflexes and reaction time is gone,” he added.
Llyod added that the Indian selectors should be finding the next Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly now. “When a team is in transition, they’ve got to find new players. That’s what the selectors, the coaches, the captain – that’s what you’ve got to do. They’ve got plenty of cricketers to choose from in India and it’s a great opportunity for the younger cricketers to make a mark. If I was involved, I would be stimulated by it. I might just find a new Dravid, a new Tendulkar or a new Ganguly because that’s how they also came into the team