Misbah-ul-Haq says Virat Kohli’s extended lean patch the result of ‘too many noises in the head’ – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

India lead the five-match Test series against England 2-1, but they will take on a resurgent England side without Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul. Both these players were superb last time when these two sides met and courtesy their opening stands, the Indian team put a lot of pressure on England. In their absence, the onus will be on the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli to step up and make their presence felt.

However, the going has been rather tough for Kohli. He comes into this match on the back of an extended lean patch, which has seen him without any centuries since November, 2019. Former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq tried to understand what has gone wrong with Kohli in the recent past.

According to Misbah, Kohli seems to be distracted by a lot of background noise and hence, has not been able to play with coordination and freedom.

“When there are too many noises in the head, then your mind and body’s coordination which helps you to react and play the ball gets broken. No matter how great you are, that automation gets affected. It’s natural. People sometimes complicate it, despite being great,” Misbah said in a conversation on ICA YouTube channel.

He also went on to add that people generally see Kohli chasing deliveries outside the off stump, but there is a mental reason behind him committing the same mistakes so frequently.

“He is trying to dominate. Virat Kohli has got ego, pride that ‘I have to dominate’. But what is happening is, somewhere were the other, you are over-trying. You go out of your zone. The pressure is getting mounted,” Misbah said.

India’s chances in the Test against England will be greatly reliant on the way the batters perform and as such, former captain Kohli will hold a lot of significance in the middle order. He showed glimpses of his form in the warm-up against Leicestershire and would hope to carry this momentum into the fifth Test.

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