Virat Kohli is still an important player for India, according to head coach Rahul Dravid, who is pleased with the reenergized former captain’s performance at the Asia Cup and advised people not to get too caught up in numbers.
In India’s group-stage victory over Hong Kong, the 33-year-old Kohli scored an unbeaten 59 runs, and he appears revived going into the Asia Cup holders’ Super Four match against fierce rivals Pakistan on Sunday night in Dubai.
Fans and analysts have been discussing Kohli’s slump constantly as he hasn’t scored an international century in any format since 2019.
However, Dravid believed that after a hiatus from the game, the former captain was returning to his best.
“It’s nice to see that he has come back fresh,” Dravid told reporters.
“He played very well in the last match, and we are happy with his performance. For us, it’s not really about how many runs he makes.
“Especially with Virat, people get a little bit obsessed with his statistics and his numbers. For us, it’s not really about that,” said Dravid.
Kohli revealed recently that he had tried to fake his intensity after suffering mental health issues, before taking a break from cricket and skipping India’s tours of the West Indies and Zimbabwe.
Kohli began the six-nation tournament, which is an important tune-up for the T20 World Cup next month, with a crucial 35 in the narrow win over Pakistan.
“For us, it’s about the contributions he can make in different phases of the game and what the contribution is. It doesn’t have to be in the fifties or hundreds or a stat,” said Dravid.
“Even small contributions mean a lot in T20 cricket, what is the role of a player and what the team needs. Virat is pretty keen in putting in big performances. Hopefully, he can keep doing that in the tournament.”
Since making his Test debut in 2011, Kohli has scored 27 hundred in 102 matches. Kohli has had a difficult previous year during which he also lost his position as national captain.
His average is over 50, and he recently participated in his 100th Twenty20 international match. He also has 31 half-centuries.
