Virat Kohli needs a break from cricket, feels Brad Haddin

Former Australian wicket-keeper Brad Haddin feels Virat Kohli needs to take a break following the hard-fought series win against Australia. Haddin thought it was appropriate for Kohli to take some time off from competitive cricket in order to reconcile the series and his responsibility as captain of the Indian team.

Kohli, who didn’t have a memorable series with the bat, came under the radar of criticism throughout the three Tests. Moreover, Kohli was also at the centre of a host of controversies, which attracted snide comments and accusations from former cricketers and the media.

Following a dream run with the bat, which saw him score 4 double hundreds in 4 consecutive series, the Indian skipper managed to score a mere 46 runs against Australia in the recently-concluded series. Kohli also sustained a shoulder injury in the third Test played in Ranchi, and was hence sidelined for the decider at Dharamshala.

Ajinkya Rahane was at the helm for the Indians, and under his captaincy, the hosts pulled off an emphatic win over the Aussies, thus winning the series 2-1 and regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

“By all accounts Virat Kohli is going to miss the early games of the IPL with his shoulder problem. Based on the sour note with which he ended a tremendous Test series victory for India over a fighting Australia, that may well be a good thing,” Haddin wrote in his column for ESPNcricinfo.

Haddin felt Kohli’s time away from the game would help things settle, and the skipper would be more relaxed before India defend their Champions Trophy title. “At the end of this long and successful home season, I get the distinct impression that Kohli needs some time to think about how he goes about things as a batsman and a captain,” Haddin added.

This time around, it will be Kohli who will lead the side, as MS Dhoni recently stepped down from captaincy. The pressure will be on Virat Kohli to deliver with the bat as well as marshal his troops intelligently in the upcoming mega event in England.