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Former Australian cricketer Brad Hogg said that star India batter Virat Kohli's poor performance in recent times could be because of "drama off the field" more than things happening on the field and added that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)'s new policy on families during international tours could put more stress on the veteran batter.
Virat, who could just make 190 runs in 10 innings during the recently-concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy, was among players who came under scrutiny after the 1-3 series loss to Australia. Virat ended the last year with just 655 international runs in 23 matches and 32 innings, averaging 21.83, with a century and two fifties to his name. His best score was 100*. Following the team's collective failure, BCCI introduced a new policy for players, touching on several aspects like luggage, family involvement in tours, playing domestic cricket etc. As per the new policy, the player's family time during away tours has been restricted to just 14 days. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Hogg said that Virat has "too much on his plate" right now which has caused him to not play at his best. "He has got a family now. He has other commitments off the field that he did not have when he was really dominating all three formats around the globe. So, it is not just about the cricket, it is what happening off the field as well," said Hogg. "I think it is more the drama off-field than on-field for Virat. I just think he has just got too much on his plate that has probably caused him to not perform as well at this moment," he added. Speaking further on BCCI's rules about families, Hogg said, "With the new rules that the BCCI have brought in in regards to families, that's even gonna put more stress on Virat for his wife and family as well because you gotta have that balance. I think players should be able to have their families on tour as much as possible, especially with the amount of cricket and the amount of travel that India has at the present moment." Hogg also said that India's problems during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy were not due to their families being around, but rather it was about the culture built by the new head coach Gautam Gambhir and support staff in the dressing room. Virat has been facing a massive decline in his Test performances that dates back to the start of 2020. In 39 Test matches since the start of 2020, Virat has scored just 2,028 runs at an average of 30.72, with just three centuries and nine fifties to show. His best score is 186. Virat ended the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle with 751 runs in 14 matches and 25 innings at an average of 32.65, with two centuries and three fifties. His best score was 121. In 10 Tests last year, he scored just 417 runs at an average of 24.52 with just one century and fifty, to conclude a disappointing year. (ANI)
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