‘For you to pass that statement…’ – KL Rahul has a befitting reply for journalist enquiring about Virat Kohli’s poor form in Tests

Virat Kohli has scored two centuries this year after going nearly three years without a century in an international match, but concerns about his “poor form” persist. When Kohli smashed his first T20I century against Afghanistan in September during the Asia Cup, he put an end to his prolonged wait for an international hundred.

When the 20-20 World Cup began, Kohli, who had been having a difficult time in the first half of the year, came out swinging, becoming the tournament’s top run-scorer with four half-centuries. And more recently, just two days ago, Kohli slammed his 44th century against Bangladesh, ending his ODI century drought, and he celebrated it in style.

He’s been around for so long: KL Rahul

Despite all his performances, a section of the crowd still believes that the former Indian captain has not returned to form. One such instance occurred when India’s vice-captain KL Rahul spoke to the media two days before the first Test against Bangladesh. Rahul was asked by a journalist if he was concerned about Kohli’s poor form, and he responded in a rather refined manner.

“Virat hasn’t had a particularly good year as far as red-ball cricket is concerned. We all know how great a player he is. Now that he has got a T20 century and a hundred in the ODIs as well, do you think his ‘poor form’ is behind now?” asked the journalist.

“We haven’t really played too much Test cricket for you to pass that statement. He has been in good form; he has done really well for us in T20 cricket. Recently, he got that hundred against Bangladesh here. Obviously, he will take some confidence into the Test matches as well,” responded Rahul.

“He’s been around for so long. He is such an experienced player. His mindset, his passion for the team has always remained the same, the commitment that he gives for the team, it’s been on show for everyone to see, you can’t really question that. He is a great player and has always found a way to get runs and do the job for his team and I am sure he will do that again,” Rahul added.