IPL 2022: Kohli going through a rough patch, things not going his way, admits Bangar

Virat Kohli's second successive golden duck in Royal Challengers Bangalore's nine-wicket loss after crashing to 68 all out against Sunrisers Hyderabad has re-ignited questions over whether the star batter needs a break from the game.

But head coach Sanjay Bangar insisted that Kohli will bounce back despite admitting that he is in a "rough patch" with things not going his way.

After falling for a first-ball duck against Lucknow Super Giants last Tuesday, Kohli arrived at the crease in the second over after left-arm pacer Marco Jansen castled captain Faf du Plessis. Kohli pushed hard at a ball angled around off by Jansen and edged to Aiden Markram at second slip, recording back-to-back ducks in IPL for the first time.

"He (Kohli) is somebody who has performed consistently for RCB. He's going through a couple of rough patches in a sense that things are not going his way at the moment. He started the season really well. You think of the start he got when he had that partnership in the start of the championship and also nearly hit the winning runs in Pune game," said Bangar in the post-match virtual press conference.

In eight matches of IPL 2022, Kohli has amassed just 118 runs at an average of 17 and strike-rate of 122.68.

"He has not been totally off-colour. But in last three-four games, he's got that odd run-out or the first edge that finds his bat lands in fielder's hands. We have all gone through such phases as cricketers. It is a tough phase for him certainly, but we are very confident that he will come back strong," stated Bangar, a former India batting coach.

Bangar maintained that Kohli is doing everything in his control to discover his form but felt that he needs luck early on to get a big score.

"He is certainly doing everything in his control because he is training very hard, not only on his skills but also on his fitness aspects. He is taking good breaks in between so he is doing everything in his control.

"He is certainly not taking the pressure; not getting to him. He is enjoying the game and skill sessions he is having. He needs a bit of luck to get going as all dismissals have been first or second ball. I am pretty sure that once he gets going, he gets a start and is due for a big one."

Bangar pointed out people in the cricketing universe will have varied opinions about how Kohli should get back to form but felt that the talismanic batter is aware of how he can come out of a lean patch.

"I mean he is taking regular breaks, in the sense that he is not playing all his games. Even in last season, you see that he has taken breaks at regular intervals. It is something he will continue to do so, going forward.

"Even if you look at South Africa Test series, the 80-odd that he scored in one of the Tests (third) was really special. I feel everyone has an opinion because Virat is of such huge importance to Indian team and to any team that he plays for. At this moment, he knows what he has to do and he has his course charted out."