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Arguably one of the finest batters in contemporary times Virat Kohli hasn't been in the best of form in recent years. While initially, the discussion was about his inability to breach the triple figures mark after an extended period of low scores from his bat, there are former cricketers and pundits who are not shying away from highlighting his lack of runs overall.
Former India all-rounder Kapil Dev has joined the group of people who want Kohli to be dropped. The 1983 World Cup-winning captain has said that if veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin can be dropped from Tests despite an impeccable record, Kohli can be dropped in T20Is too.
"Yes, now the situation is such that you might be forced to bench Kohli from T20 playing eleven. If world No. 2 bowler Ashwin can be dropped from Test side then (once upon a time) world No. 1 batter can also be dropped," Kapil Dev said on ABP News.
"Virat is not batting at a level which we have seen him do over the years. He has made a name because of his performances but if he isn't performing, then you can't keep the performing youngsters out of the team. I want competition for places in team in a positive sense that these youngsters should try and outperform Virat," he added.
Having said that, Virat Kohli is part of the India squad that is playing the white-ball fixtures against England. While he was not on the team along with several other senior players in the first T20I, all eyes will be on him in the second the final T20I of this series.
The right-handed batter would also be determined to get a big score and get back to the champion batter that the world has come to know of him. However, until those big runs come from his bat, even the mighty Kohli will feel a bit of pressure.