Former Indian wicket-keeper bat Parthiv Patel feels Virat Kohli needs a good series against New Zealand to answer questions regarding his form. Kohli returned with scores of 6, 17, 47 and 29* in the two-match Test series against Bangladesh.
However, Kohli was dismissed for a duck in the first innings of the opening Test match against New Zealand at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Thursday. The talismanic batter received an unplayable delivery from William O’Rourke and was caught at backward short-leg by Glenn Phillips.
Speaking on Colors Cineplex, Parthiv Patel said, “There is a question mark over Shubman Gill, whether he will play or not. So Sarfaraz (Khan) might get a chance again. He is coming after scoring a double hundred in the Irani Trophy. Virat Kohli is about to reach 9000 runs. We are unable to figure out how his form is,” he responded.
Patel said the three-match Test series against the Blackcaps is important for Kohli before the all-important Australia tour.
“The way he batted in Kanpur, you knew that big shots had to be played. He hasn’t played much cricket. So these three Test matches are extremely crucial for Virat before going to Australia because if he scores runs, the Australian tour can become easier for India,” Patel observed.
Meanwhile, Kohli needs 53 runs to become the fourth Indian batter after Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid to complete 9000 runs. Patel wants Kohli to reach the milestone in Bengaluru.
“You want Virat Kohli to complete his 9000 runs in Bengaluru. Virat’s first Test century in India came on this ground and against this team only. So there are a lot of things that remain in your memory but it matters if you have scored one or two centuries, he has scored so many centuries,” he said.
The former Gujarat captain lauded Kohli’s hunger at the top level and feels the veteran batter will soon answer the critics with a big knock.
“Virat Kohli will always have that hunger. The day he feels he doesn’t have the hunger and is unable to play with that intensity, you won’t see Virat on the ground. When you question his form, a big player answers it very well, and that answer is only as a century or a very good innings,” Patel stated.
Kohli will look to turn the tables in the second innings against the Kiwis.
