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Former Australian captain Ian Chappell feels Virat Kohli’s experience in the United Kingdom will be invaluable for India during the five-match Test series against England in June-August.
Ian Chappell wants Virat Kohli to improve his consistency. (Picture Credit: AFP, Screengrab)
Former Australian captain and legendary batter Ian Chappell wants Indian superstar Virat Kohli to stop his senseless antics on the field and instead improve his consistency, which will help India in the five-match Test series against England. Kohli was horribly out of form in the recently concluded five-match Test series in Australia. The 36-year-old right-handed batter was only able to score 190 runs with the bat in nine innings. Despite his poor show in the 2024-25 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Chappell feels Kohli will play for India in the five matches against England, as his experience in the United Kingdom would be invaluable for Team India.
“Kohli’s experience in the UK would be invaluable, and of the two problematic players, he’s the most likely to be resuscitated. However, his consistency needs to improve in addition to dispensing valuable advice to younger players. He also has to stop his senseless antics, like shouldering Konstas in the MCG Test. If Kohli does decide to retire from Test cricket, the loss of both him and Rohit would leave a huge gap in the line-up for a tough tour,” Chappell wrote in his column for ESPNCricinfo.
Kohli was heavily criticised by fans and experts of the game for his shoulder push to Australian batter Sam Konstas on Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground, and he irked fans further by pulling off the ‘no sandpaper in his pocket’ act during Day 3 of the fifth Test at Sydney Cricket Ground.
According to Chappell, who played 75 Tests and 16 ODIs for the Australian team during his 16-year-long international career, Indian selectors have to make tough decisions regarding Kohli and Rohit Sharma. He is unsure about Rohit’s future in the red-ball format of the game.
“For India, the two big question marks are leading batters, and the selectors have tough decisions to make regarding Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. The soon-to-be-38-year-old Rohit, facing a crammed five-Test series against England in a few months, is a doubtful quantity. Although India are extremely reluctant to part with star players, lately Rohit has struggled technically, and his absence would provide uncertainty over the opening position and the captaincy.”
“KL Rahul is a decent opening alternative, but the captaincy provides a bigger headache whenever Jasprit Bumrah is unavailable. Bumrah showed in Australia he’s an outstanding bowler and a decent skipper, but he needs support in both categories if India are to remain a force,” he added.