Ambati Rayudu and Virat Kohli.
Ambati Rayudu and Virat Kohli. Image Credit: X

When India’s former captain, Virat Kohli, was going through a massive drop in form in the longest format, many suggested that he should go back to the Ranji Trophy to gain confidence and challenge his technique to get better in the future. It hasn’t been a supreme time for the experienced batter of late.

Virat Kohli missed the five-match home Test series against England due to personal reasons. He struggled against Bangladesh in the two-match red-ball series before collecting just 93 runs in six innings against New Zealand at an average of 15.50 with just one half-century that came during the second innings of the series opener at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Expectations were huge on the experienced right-hander, who was supposed to make his last trip to Australia for the Test series. He began with a fantastic knock of unbeaten century during the second innings of the series opener at the Optus Stadium in Perth.

Ambati Rayudu advises Virat Kohli to feel good about his batting.

However, he kept on repeating the same mistake for the last four Tests. The 36-year-old was standing on his backfoot on most occasions to save his outside edge, but that exposed him to the short ball terribly. In Bengaluru, he was dismissed by William O’Rourke, while in the first innings of Perth, Josh Hazlewood found the outside edge of the batter into the hands of the wicket-keeper.

Also Read: Virat Kohli’s Stardom Impresses DDCA Secretary During Ranji Trophy 2024-25 Clash vs Railways

Kohli was in two minds whether to leave the short ball from Mitchell Starc and ended up edging it to the slip fielder. Questions were raised about whether the Delhi-born could resist himself from playing the drive during the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He went through a tough period for a long time but ended up repeating the same mistake at the end.

Virat Kohli finished the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2023-24 with the help of 190 runs in nine innings at an average of 23.75. Last year, the batter collected just 417 runs in 19 Test innings at an average of below 25 and a strike rate of 62, thanks to one fifty and one century at the best score of 100*. It was a huge downfall for him after a 671-run season in 2023 that came in just 12 innings at an average of 55.92, shouldering on two centuries and two half-centuries.

He returned to the Ranji Trophy after nearly 13 years for Delhi and faced Railways at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Expectations grew again as the fans turned up in huge numbers to make it a huge occasion for the batter. On the morning of the second day’s play, he walked out in the middle and opened his account a few balls later.

The trademark straight drive for a boundary excited the fans but it didn’t last long as he missed the inswinger on the very next delivery to see the stumps being rattled.

Also Read: Pakistan’s Pacer Accuses PCB Selectors Of ‘Betraying’ After Champions Trophy 2025 Omission

The former Indian batter, Ambati Rayudu, reckoned that the Ranji Trophy won’t help Virat Kohli to get better, as there shouldn’t be any question on the technique that has helped him to score 81 centuries in international cricket.

“Right now, Virat Kohli doesn’t need Ranji. His technique was good for 81 hundreds, and it will be good going forward as well. No one should force him into forcing himself for anything. He needs time to feel good about everything again. The spark within will ignite on its own, basically respect and believe in him, and most importantly leave him alone.” Rayudu suggested this during a post on his X account (formerly known as Twitter).

The batter’s next target is to feature in the three-match ODI series against England at home.