Legendary Australian batsman Allan Border has expressed concern over Indian Virat Kohli’s recent sub-par performances in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, suggesting that the star batsman has ‘lost his edge’.
The right-handed batsman is going through a rough patch with his latest miss being a three-ball 16 in the first innings of the ongoing third Test against Australia.
Kohli’s struggles are mainly linked to his inability to leave deliveries outside the channel outside off stump.
His dismissal against Josh Hazlewood in the aforementioned game was his second in the ongoing series, while most of his dismissals in the last two years have also come due to him bowling big deliveries.
“Today’s dismissal is normally a delivery he would have left alone if he had been in the best possible shape,” said former Australian captain Allan Border, as quoted by Fox Sports. “I’m not sure what’s going on mentally with Virat (and) if he’s just lost that edge.”
Former England captain Michael Vaughan echoed Border’s concerns, stating that Kohli was not given a ‘jaffa’.
“He’s a player who’s going there (and) almost trying to get to the top too soon,” Vaughan said. “When he plays at his best, especially in Australia and England, when the ball does a little bit more, he just comes off the ball. Most of his dismissals this series have been balls he could have left.
Although Virat Kohli scored a century in the ongoing series, the right-handed batsman could not maintain his form as he was dismissed for meager scores of seven, 11 and three in the next three innings.
