Kapil Dev, who once led the Indian team, suggests that the current captain should focus more on his health and fitness to improve his future on-field results. It seems Kohli's technical rhythm has slipped, which is reflected in his sliding ICC rankings.
Reflecting on the series against New Zealand, former all-rounder Kapil Dev pointed out how quickly the Indian captain succumbed to the Kiwis' bowling across all three formats. Kohli struggled to put together a significant score, missing out on a fifty in T20s, falling to catches and stumpings in ODIs, and being trapped LBW in the Tests. In a surprising turn for someone dubbed the 'run-machine,' he finished the 11-game stretch with a modest total of 218 runs. Kapil Dev, the former all-rounder in cricket pointed out that the Indian skipper who batted in all the Kiwis formats fell quickly for the New Zealand deliveries. A half-century was not completed in the T20i format by the Indian skipper, the Kiwis bowler stumped and caught the Indian skipper in the ODI format, and in the Test series, the skipper left for lbws. Kohli who was known as run-machine has scored only 218 runs from 11 games in the New Zealand tri-format series.
The former World Cup-winning captain observed that Kohli's once-perfect ability to time boundaries from a distance has waned, leaving him more vulnerable to being dismissed. Kapil Dev mentioned that legends like Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, and Vivian Richards also went through rough patches, but they managed to stay on top by doubling down on their practice.
Kapil Dev believes that because Kohli is a top-tier international player, he can regain his form quickly if he commits to the necessary training. He expects to see a revitalized Kohli during IPL 2020, where he will continue to lead the Royal Challengers Bangalore for the 13th season.