Former England cricketer David Llyod has cast aspersions on the future of Indian batter Virat Kohli, noting that he is a ‘great’ cricketer but would know that he is past his prime. Lloyd also stated that Indian coach Gautam Gambhir will have a massive say on Kohli’s future going forward. 

Virat Kohl past his best, says Ex-cricketer:

Speaking to talkSport Cricket, Lloyd said, “Virat Kohli knows he is past his best and that will hurt. When India come to England, you know where he’s going to be. Just outside off stump, and the business area will be the slips. At 36 years of age, up in the mind, he knows what he should be doing. Your reflexes gently go. Ponting said he carried on a bit longer than he usually would have. The selectors should know. He is one of the greatest players we have seen but is past his best. The coach Gautam Gambhir will have an enormous say, a big say, because he has been in that dressing room. He has lost time. His time is over,”

“The one thing when you talk about great cricketers, that the rest haven’t, is time. He has lost time. It’s gone. His time’s gone. It comes with age. Everyone tells you what you need to be doing. Stuff like ‘leave the ball’ watch it till the end. But it’s gone. These are great international bowlers. If it’s a repetitive way of getting out – in Test match you know there’s going to be a bank of slips’. If you keep nicking off, it’s a tell-tell sign for anybody that reflexes and reaction time is gone,” the former cricketer added

Virat Kohli’s struggles: 

Notably, Virat Kohli has had recurrent problems with the delivery outside off stump ever since his first tour of England in 2014. However, the batter had managed to find a way to tackle those deliveries until now. 

In the recent past, Kohli’s achilees heel has been the 5th stump deliveries, leading to disappointing scores in the last few series. In the recently concluded, Border Gavaskar Trophy, Kohli was dismissed caught behind in all his innings, suggesting there is a major problem with his technique that the ex-India captain is unable to fix. 

Meanwhile, with a slade of low scores of ahead of Champions Trophy squad selection, questions have also started to be asked if Kohli deserves a place in the marquee tournament.