“We are talking about a legend who has been a run-machine for many years. He is also a human and he can have one odd series where he doesn’t perform. One series should not go against him, he has been a phenomenal player," Prasad was quoted as telling ANI in defence of the Indian captain.
India began their tour of New Zealand on an impressive note, blanking the Kiwis 5-0 and if you were a betting person at a usa casino, you would have had your money on India winning. However, things only went downhill for the visitors from there as they failed to make an impact. Kohli's personal form also got worse with each innings, and he managed just 38 runs in the two-match Test series.
“When you reach a certain age, when you cross 30 then it affects your eyesight. In swings, which used to be his strength, he used to flick them four but now he has been dismissed twice. So I think he needs to adjust his eyesight a bit," Kapil told ABP News, advising Kohli to practice more.
“When big players start getting bowled or LBW to incoming deliveries then you have to tell them to practice more. It shows that your eyes and your reflexes have slowed down a bit and in no time your strengths turn into your weakness,” he added.
On the other hand, another former cricketer Sandeep Patil opined that the Indian batsmen were not positive enough and that cost them in a big way as the bowlers could easily dominate proceedings.
"New Zealand beat us convincingly and it was painful to see our batsmen not playing their natural game. To me, this was beyond comprehension. Doing what comes naturally to you is the only way you can put runs on the board. All of them have played enough cricket to adjust," Patil, also a member of India's 1983 World Cup-winning squad, told mid-day.
"Here, you are prodding, prodding, leaving and leaving more balls and score 10 runs in 70 balls—not acceptable. Not for a moment I am saying be reckless or flashy. You just cannot go into a shell,” a disappointed Patil lamented.
--By A Cricket Correspondent
