Shahid Afridi, a former Pakistan captain, has weighed in on Indian batting superstar Virat Kohli’s poor form, questioning whether he has the motivation and thirst to be the number one batter in a sport where attitude is everything.
“In cricket, attitude matters the most. That is what I talk about the most. Do you have the attitude towards cricket or not? That Kohli, earlier in his career, wanted to be the No. 1 batsman in the world … is he still playing cricket with the same motivation? That is the big question.”
The right-handed batter has been in a losing streak since 2019, and after a poor showing in the Indian Premier League, he was rested for the five-match T20I series against South Africa.
Afridi, who had been a member of the 2009 T20 World Cup-winning team, further said that it is up to Virat to decide whether he wants to change his attitude toward cricket or genuinely enjoy the final stage of his career.
“He has the class. But does he really even want to be No. 1 again? Or does he think he has achieved everything in life? Now just relax and pass time? It’s all about attitude.”
So after his poor performance in the series at home against Sri Lanka and afterwards the IPL, a number of former and current cricketers urged Kohli to take a break from playing in order to restore his form and start reducing his mental stress.
