Sydney: After India’s defeat in the Sydney Test, which not only cost them the series but also shattered their hopes of reaching the World Test Championship final for the third consecutive time, former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan directed his frustration at Virat Kohli through sharp criticism.
India’s loss in the Sydney Test meant they not only lost the series but also failed to qualify for the World Test Championship Final, which will take place in June in England. During the series, while captain Rohit Sharma struggled with his form, Virat Kohli also had a quiet series. In the eight innings he played, Kohli could only manage 190 runs, with a solitary century, and he was dismissed in the same manner in every innings.
This performance prompted even former fast bowler and current commentator Irfan Pathan, who has often praised Kohli in the past, to express his displeasure. Speaking on Star Sports, Pathan criticized Kohli for ignoring domestic cricket and stressed the need to shift away from a “superstar culture” in favor of building a strong team culture.
Irfan Pathan pointed out that Kohli had been given the opportunity to play domestic cricket before the series against Australia, but he chose not to participate. When asked by the host about when Kohli last played domestic cricket, Pathan responded that Kohli’s last appearance in first-class cricket was in 2012, which was 12 years ago. He highlighted that even Sachin Tendulkar had recently played domestic cricket, but Kohli had not followed suit.
Pathan also echoed Sunil Gavaskar’s views on Kohli’s repetitive errors, especially his tendency to get out in the same manner. He emphasized that they were not trying to undermine Kohli, who had delivered outstanding performances for India and scored a lot of runs, but he was making the same mistake repeatedly. Pathan praised Gavaskar for pointing out this flaw in Kohli’s technique.
Pathan further suggested that since both Virat Kohli and Sunil Gavaskar were in Australia, Kohli should take the opportunity to meet Gavaskar and seek advice on correcting his mistakes. He remarked that Kohli needed to put in extra effort to address these errors, but expressed regret that he had not seen such determination from Kohli.
It is worth noting that Gavaskar had also previously stated that senior players who do not participate in domestic cricket should be dropped from the national team and have their spot in the Test team closed.
