Former Australia cricketer Greg Chappell feels star India batter Virat Kohli is suffering from Elite Performance Decline Syndrome (EPDS). Notably, Kohli hasn’t been in the best of forms in recent times having scored just 21 runs in the last three innings after his hundred in the first Test against Australia in Perth.
The former India captain has suffered a massive decline in his performances since 2020 with just three hundreds to his name in the last four years and has accumulated just 1964 runs from 65 innings at an average of 31.67. Recently, Greg Chappell analyzed Kohli’s recent performances and mentioned that he’s shown signs of EPDS due to the tendency of beginning his innings tentatively.
“The first visible sign of EPDS is a subtle but unmistakable shift in a player’s approach at the crease. Kohli, once renowned for his domineering starts, has in recent years shown a tendency to begin tentatively,” Chappell wrote in his column for The Sydney Morning Herald.
Chappell also said that Kohli’s poor form is much like legendary cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting and suggested that he needs a buffer of 20-30 runs to rediscover his flow at the crease.
“Much like Tendulkar and Ponting before him, Kohli seems to need a buffer – a score of 20 or 30 – before he can rediscover his flow. Reaching a score of 20 or 30 acts as a psychological turning point, helping them regain the confidence and fluency of their prime,” he added.
Kohli’s weakness being exploited by Australian bowlers
Kohli’s weakness outside the off stump has been exploited by Australian bowlers throughout the series as he’s constantly got out in a similar fashion. The star batter worked to correct his mistake ahead of the third Test in Brisbane but once again ended up chasing a widish delivery which went straight into Alex Carey’s gloves.
Hence, Kohli is yet to put his past mistakes behind him as he heads into the fourth Test in Melbourne. Having not been able to have a massive impact in the series so far, there is massive uncertainty about his future in the Test team and if India doesn’t make it to the World Test Championship (WTC) final, some tough decisions are likely to be on the cards.
