The former wicket-keeper batter and the captain of South Africa, Ab de Villiers, has given his suggestion to Virat Kohli to overcome the continuous struggle against the balls outside the off-stump, which was exposed by the Australian bowlers brutally in the five-match series of the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 down under.
Kohli came into the series on the back of his 93 runs in six innings at home against New Zealand at an average of 15.50 with the help of just one half-century that came in the second innings of the series opener at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Chennai.
During a live show on his ‘X’ account (previously known as Twitter), Ab de Villiers backed the Indian star to overcome the weakness and pointed out how the Delhi-born had been struggling with certain deliveries during his playing career.
“Of course, he can. Every single batter in the world has got some sort of weakness. For me, it was the straight ball hitting my pads. Even towards the back end of my career and in the form of my life, all the experience that I needed to go out and score runs.” The former captain of the South African side expressed during the program.
“I remember a series against England. I started well and scored runs in Durban, everything was brilliant. Then I ran into James Anderson and Stuart Broad with the new ball.” Ad de Villiers added.
“The skill, experience, and greatness of the guy are not an issue”- Ab de Villiers
Kohli finished the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 on the back of his 190 Test runs in eight innings at an average of 23.75 with one unbeaten century that came during the second innings of the opening game at the Optus Stadium in Perth.
The ESPNcricinfo has a stat that the batter has the least average in a series against the balls outside the off-stump against the Pacers since 2002. Kohli has grabbed just 69 runs in nine innings of this trip with eight dismissals, with the second being Joe Root in the list at an average of 18.3.
Ab De Villiers went on to comment that Kohli has been involved too much in the game and is concerned about his performance of the side rather than thinking of resetting his mind, as the Proteas captain reckoned that the 36-year-old would need to think about every delivery.
“It takes a lot of character, a lot of hunger, a lot of hours in the nets. I think the thing is to reset your mind, every time. I think with Virat, he gets involved with the battle on the field. That’s one of his biggest strengths, and it can also be a weakness.” The Pretoria-born highlighted in the show.
“During this series, we saw him have individual battles with some of the players, the crowd got under his skin. Virat loves the fight, but when you’re not in the form of your life, it’s best to get rid of those things. As a batter, it is to reset every single, and realize every ball is an event and just forget about the bowler.” Ab de Villiers shed light.
Virat Kohli had a terrible year in 2024 in the longest format of the game, when he finished the 12 months with the help of 417 runs in 19 innings at an average of 24.53 and a strike rate of 61.96. That was his lowest average since his debut year, except in 2020.
“I think sometimes Virat forgets about that because of his fighting spirit and the nature of the man wanting to be involved and show the whole of India he is there to fight for them.” The crime partner of Kohli on the RCB side, Ab de Villiers, concluded.