It's no secret that talismanic India batter Virat Kohli has been in a prolonged lean patch. The right-handed batter hasn't scored an international century since November 2019, which has led to many asking for his omission from India's 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup squad.
In the tour of England, Kohli couldn't score a half-century in matches across all formats. With Kohli not a part of white-ball trip to the Caribbean, there were speculations that the batter might play in the ODI series against Zimbabwe in August.
Saba Karim, a former member of the national selection committee, feels that the current selection panel and team management need to decide if they see Kohli as an essential member for the T20WC in Australia in October-November.
"First, I think the selectors and the team management have to figure out whether Virat Kohli is essential for India's preparation for India's T20 World Cup side or not. And once the selectors decide the team management feels that Virat Kohli is essential to the team's success then I'd chart a path for Virat Kohli's come back to great form. I think that's the time when the selectors or the captain or Rahul Dravid would love to have a chat with him and then try and take it forward," said Karim on 'Sports Over The Top' show on Sports18.
Phasing out Virat Kohli will be a blunder: Saba Karim
Moreover, Karim has claimed that phasing out Kohli from the Indian team will be a ‘blunder.’ Justifying his views, he explained “Virat is such an important figure in the Indian line-up. The way I look at it, the way Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid have backed him, that makes sense because they know that Virat Kohli fully back in good form, will be extremely beneficial for the team's success in the world cup T20."
"So, I think for the time being, as I said earlier, have a chat with Virat Kohli, find some kind of a common part and then try and take it forward and make him feel as much as possible that he's such an essential player for India's success and take a call after the world cup T20 have another conversation with him and then decide how to take it forward," he further added.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)