India vs England: Words of advice for a struggling Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is not at his best and his struggle in the English conditions are making the fact quite evident. The Indian skipper, who has 27 Test hundreds under his name, has failed to score big despite the start and in the five innings he has played so far, the Indian skipper could accumulate a paltry 124 runs at an avergae of less than 25.

Looking at Kohli's lean patch and India's dismal show in the third Test at Leeds, several ex-cricketers shared their insights about the star batsman. Ex-Pakistan opener Salman Butt feels Kohli has lost his 'concentration', while former India women's cricket coach WV Raman explained it is the additional responsiblity that's affecting the Indian skipper's batsmen. 

In this article we list down the words of advice shared by the ex-cricketers and see who said what: 

Salman Butt on Virat Kohli (YouTube): “When he was in form, Kohli was scoring hundred after hundred. Yes, his off-time has extended longer than expected but he has been aggressive as always. Kohli is looking good but somewhere he is lacking in concentration, which is why he is chasing at those balls outside off stump. It is not the case with Kohli usually. He has excellent concentration levels but in this series, he has been dismissed in similar fashion every time."

“When he drives outside the off stump or even defends, he plays a little away from his body. If he manages to play closer to the body and does so consistently, runs will be around the corner," he said. 

Intrestingly, Kohli's pattern of being dismissed in all the five innings so far in England has been the same. Outside edge with the ball landing either on Jos Buttler's gloves or Joe Root's hands at slips. (Source: Twitter) 

Irfan Pathan on Virat Kohli during a YouTube interaction with Aakash Chopra: “I feel more than the preparation, Virat Kohli looking to dominate is forcing him to play deliveries outside off-stump. It is just that small thing. More than technical, Virat Kohli's aggressive thinking is causing him problems.” (Source: Twitter)

Ex-India women's cricket coach WV Raman advised Kohli to allow others to 'lead from front'.

During an interaction arranged by Sony, the former cricketer said: "If I was Virat’s coach, I would tell him: 'Virat, enough of this leading from the front. Just try and nudge the others from behind and get them to do what they can deliver. I’m sure you’ll be back at your best in no time.'" (Source: Twitter)

Sunil Gavaskar also shared a piece of advice for a struggling Kohli and felt that the Indian skipper should talk to Sachin Tendulkar over the phone. 

"He should give a quick call to SRT (Tendulkar) and ask what should I do? He should do what Sachin Tendulkar did at Sydney. Say to himself that I am not going to play the cover drive," Gavaskar was quoted as saying in multiple media reports. (Source: Twitter)