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Cheteshwar Pujara wants Virat Kohli to relax amidst the pressure surrounding the Indian batting icon and his lack of runs in recent times.
Virat Kohli’s lack of runs has been a big concern. (PTI Photo)
Cheteshwar Pujara has come to back Virat Kohli amidst the Indian batting icon’s lack of form in recent times. The out-of-favour Test star has backed Kohli to come good amidst the pressure as India gears up to take on arch-rivals Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Pujara shared his take on Kohli’s lack of runs in recent times. Speaking in an interaction with CNN-News18, the batting star suggested that Kohli has set high standards for himself and could be putting too much pressure on himself to score big runs. He feels that players can go through tough periods in their careers and it is more than understandable that he might be doubting himself considering how frequently he has been India’s go-to man to score the big runs.
“I feel someone like Virat Kohli who has scored so many runs across the formats, when he’s going through a lean patch when he’s not scoring as good as he likes to, forget about the rest of the world because everyone does talk whenever he doesn’t score. But he has set the high standards for himself. When he is not able to live up to those scores, that’s when he starts putting too much pressure on himself,” Pujara commented.
“I think someone like him, he knows his game really well. But there are times when you go through a rough patch and that’s when you start doubting yourself a little bit that I expect him to score 100. But someone like him, even if he scores a fifty, you know, it always helps the team and he understands that,” he added.
Pujara reckons that Kohli should start getting runs as soon as possible and remains positive after what he has seen from Kohli in the recent ODIs against England. Despite the pressure that surrounds the batting great, he reckons that Kohli is aware of his game and remains confident in his ability to deliver in the big occasions.
“We saw against England in the ODIs where he got 50 and there are times where he might have been disappointed by those 50s because he’s someone who always posts big runs, especially in the ODI format. He is known to get those hundreds. And if he’s not able to get that, then he might be doubting himself or he might be putting himself under pressure that I need to score more,” Pujara commented.
“But someone like him, you know, he, he knows his game really, really well, but he needs to stay relaxed and his role is very important,” he added.
After securing the win in their first game, India is now set to take on arch-rivals Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on Sunday. The game will be crucial for both teams in their pursuit of a spot in the semi-final. The Men in Blue have a win under their belt after beating Bangladesh by six wickets. But Pakistan will come into the game under pressure after a crushing defeat to New Zealand by 60 runs and will need to win the upcoming game to keep them alive in the race to the knockouts.
