Overcooked Kohli risks ‘fried brain’ if not rested: Shastri

Former Indian captain Virat Kohli is seen with ex-coach Ravi Shastri in this file photo.

• Former Indian coach says it is time for the star batter to take time off from cricket Out-of-sorts Virat Kohli could be lost to cricket with a “fried brain” if he is not given a break soon, said former India coach Ravi Shastri after the batsman’s latest IPL failure. Kohli’s extended lean patch in the Indian Premier League continued when the Royal Challengers Bangalore star was out first ball against Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday to take his aggregate to 119 runs from seven matches. Bangalore rode skipper Faf du Plessis’s 96 to win the match and jump to second in the 10-team table of the Twenty20 tournament. “Virat Kohli is overcooked. If anyone needs a break, it’s him,” Shastri told Star Sports. “Whether it’s two months or a month and a half, whether it’s after (the) England (tour in July) or before England – he needs a break because he has got six to seven years of cricket left in him and you don’t want to lose that with a fried brain,” he added. Kohli, 33, hasn’t scored a century in the last 100 matches across formats and, in the past seven months, stepped down from T20 captaincy – both for India and Royal Challengers – as well as quit Test leadership and was removed from the ODI captain’s position. In IPL 2022, Kohli was out for a duck on Tuesday night as Royal Challengers rode Faf du Plessis’ 96 to clinch an 18-run win over Lucknow Super Giants. “When I was (India) coach at the time when this first started, the first thing I said is, ‘You have to show empathy to the guys,’” Shastri said. “If you’re going to be forceful, there is a very thin line there, from a guy losing the plot as opposed to him hanging in there and giving his best. So you have to be extremely careful.” The former India captain had last year warned about players getting “cooked” mentally because of relentless cricket in bio-secure bubbles during the coronavirus pandemic. Former England skipper Kevin Pietersen also backed Kohli to take a break and reset his personal and professional life. “The guy has had so much to deal with, from marriage to baby to media scrutiny and all on his personal life. He is the biggest star on show,” Pietersen said in an interview. “Virat Kohli needs to say: ‘Cricket boots, for six months, I will see you later.’ Turn off social media, go and get re-energised. When the stadiums are full again, you guarantee him a spot in that side for the next 12, 24 or 36 months. Tell him: ‘You’re our guy. We know you’ll deliver for us’.” Nicknamed King Kohli, the batsman has played 101 Tests and 260 one-day internationals.  Kohli has also played 97 Twenty20 matches for India since 2008, during which time he has amassed 23,650 runs across the three formats including 70 centuries. Kohli is still searching for a first IPL title with Bangalore, a team he captained from 2013 to 2021.