Venkatesh Prasad Says Out Of Form Batsman Should Be Dropped, Cannot Play On Reputation

New Delhi: India’s prolific cricketer Virat Kohli is out of form currently and that is no secret. There is no specific flaw in his batting technique as most of his dismissals can be attributed to reckless shots or sheer bad luck. The 33-year-old charismatic batter has got a fair share of support behind him but criticism is bound to arise after so many failures. The latest criticism comes from former India fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad.

Prasad, from his official Twitter account, has said that out-of-form players should be dropped for “larger good” and sent to domestic cricket where they can get their form back. Prasad also questioned the current selection and recalled how players like Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, and Zaheer Khan were dropped regardless of their reputation.

Here’s what Prasad tweeted: “There was a time when you were out of form, you would be dropped irrespective of reputation. Sourav, Sehwag, Yuvraj, Zaheer, Bhajji all have been dropped when not in form. They have went back to domestic cricket, scored runs and staged a comeback. The yardsticks seem to have changed drastically now, where there is rest for being out of form. This is no way for progress. There is so much talent in the country and cannot play on reputation. One of India’s greatest match-winner, Anil Kumble sat out on so many ocassions, need action’s for the larger good.”

Check the tweet here:

Changed drastically now, where there is rest for being out of form. This is no way for progress. There is so much talent in the country and cannot play on reputation. One of India’s greatest match-winner, Anil Kumble sat out on so many ocassions, need action’s for the larger good

— Venkatesh Prasad (@venkateshprasad) July 10, 2022

However, there were some voices in the support of Virat Kohli as well. Here are a few listed below:

I want to be in Virat Kohli’s shoes.
I want to.
To taste success,
To suffer failure,
To emerge a winner,
To connect with true friends,
To repent mistakes,
To become wiser.
We all go through what Virat is experiencing.
Only his struggle is visible and open to scrutiny.

— Vijay Lokapally 🇮🇳 (@vijaylokapally) July 10, 2022

Rohit Sharma said “We will back Virat Kohli, he has been consistent for a long time, one or two matches or series can be bad for anyone – we believe in his quality”.

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) July 10, 2022

Virat Kohli will be retained and given as many chances to return to form just like Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni and rightly so.

Form matters but these legends were at peak not for a couple of years but for a decade. So they deserve a longer rope than others. #ENGvIND

— Sameer Allana (@HitmanCricket) July 10, 2022

The ODI series against England is starting on July 12th and it will be a big opportunity for Kohli to regain his form. The standards set by Kohli are monumental and it will take a while for him to return to that level and regain his elusive form.