Virat Kohli, a member of Team India, had possibly the worst moment of his career during the 2014 England trip. He later recounted an intriguing interaction with former head coach Ravi Shastri, who became team director following the England tour.
The five-Test matches in England 2014 saw him face a lot of issues batting against the moving ball just outside the off-stump. The top batter in the team managed only 134 runs, which is very low, and did not make half a century in 10 innings.
India lost the series 1-3 mainly because Virat Kohli faced many problems despite being ahead 1-0 after the early Tests.
In a talk on BCCI.tv after the 2020 season, Kohli remembered his discussion with Shastri following the England tour in 2014 and said (according to ESPN Cricinfo):
“Ravi bhai asked me that if I was scared of short ball. I said, ‘I am not scared and I don’t mind getting hurt but I don’t want to get out.’ He (Shastri) told me to stand outside the crease.”
He continued:
“He explained the mindset behind it: ‘You should be in control of the space you are playing in and not give the bowlers so many opportunities to get you out.’ So many dismissals get taken out when you are standing outside the crease. So I started practising that the same year and results were unbelievable.”
Virat Kohli
Kohli improved dramatically during his next Test tour to England in 2018, amassing 593 runs at an average of 59.30, including two centuries in five games.
Team India will be without Virat Kohli in upcoming England tour
Virat Kohli’s fights against England in England have been one of the more exciting parts of Test cricket in the last decade. The champion batter has fluctuated in Tests in England, averaging 33.21 in 17 games and scoring only two hundreds.
Nonetheless, under his guidance, Team India built a 2-1 series lead in England in 2021 before Covid-19 extended the final Test till the next year, when Kohli was not captain.
Virat Kohli announced he would retire from Tests last month, so India will miss him in their tour of England for the Tests, starting from June 20. For the last three tours of England in 2014, 2018, and 2021, where he captained the team in the latter two, Virat Kohli was an important member of India’s Test side.
