Former Pakistani leg-spinner Danish Kaneria believes that Virat Kohli should have left the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 midway through to direct his focus on international cricket.
The former Indian captain ended up playing the entirety of the season for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and has since made sporadic appearances for the national side.
Since the culmination of the 2022 edition of the IPL, Kohli has only partaken in five of Team India’s matches, all of which came during the tour of England. The Delhi cricketer was rested for the side’s home series against South Africa and their tours to Zimbabwe and West Indies, respectively.
Recalling that the right-handed batter continued playing in the IPL despite not being in good form, Kaneria said in an interview with Cricket Next:
“Poor fellow Virat. During 2021 T20 World Cup, he was out of his form and team was also collapsing. Virat Kohli should have left half of IPL because he cannot miss international cricket. In IPL also he was out of form, and he was continuously playing and playing.”
The ace batter ended with 341 runs across 16 matches for the season, averaging 22.73, holding a strike rate of 115.99. He initially played at No.3 for the franchise, below Faf du Plessis and Anuj Rawat. Midway through the season, he was promoted up the order, but it did not bring upon a change in fortune.
“He should have played some county cricket in England” – Danish Kaneria on Virat Kohli
The ongoing English county season has seen active participation from Indian players. The likes of Navdeep Saini, Umesh Yadav, Cheteshwar Pujara and Krunal Pandya, among others, are plying their trade on the traditional circuit with great success.
The county stint arguably benefitted Pujara the most, who was able to earn a recall back into the national side on the back of his performances for Sussex.
Opining that Kohli should also have tried his hand at County Cricket following the tour of England, Kaneria said:
“We saw him in England where his form was struggling. He didn’t make runs. So, he should have played some county cricket in England, at least some hundred ball game or something like that to bring back his form.”
The leg-spinner added:
“Now, he is out of international cricket, without form so we don’t know how he will come back.”
The former Indian skipper will next be seen in action during India’s clash against Pakistan at the Asia Cup in Dubai on August 28. The upcoming contest will mark the ace batter’s 100th match in the shortest format of the game. He is set to become the first Indian player to amass over 100 appearances in each of the three formats.
Should Virat Kohli have played in the County Championship in a bid to regain his form? Let us know what you think.
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