Virat Kohli’s IPL form will have no bearing on his ICC World Cup performance, believes head coach Ravi Shastri

The Indian Premier League (IPL) Season 12 ended with Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) sitting bottom of the standings once again. Although there’s no doubt over skipper Kohli’s batting acumen or his leadership when it comes to the Indian cricket team, things weren’t the same this IPL and questions have been raised as to whether the poor show in the franchise league will affect Kohli at the World Cup. India head coach Ravi Shastri, however, isn’t bothered when it comes to his captain’s performance at the showpiece event.

In an interview with News 18, Shastri spoke about various topics, ranging from the No. 4 dilemma, players’ form in IPL, as well as India’s team combination for the World Cup. One of the most important questions that have also been on the minds of fans was how a poor IPL will effect Kohli at the World Cup. Expressing his take on the subject, Shastri believes there isn’t going to be an impact at all.

“Difference between a domestic league and international contests. You know when you talk of Test cricket, that’s the ultimate format of the game and if you see the way he has evolved in the last 5 years, across all formats. You know there is still room for improvement. He knows that, he’s only 30. He’s got another, barring any injury, I would say 7-8 years easy. So, you are bound to mature, he is bound to evolve even further and bound to get better but you can’t take away what he has done. So, when you just look at the stats out there, against who, against where, against which teams… I don’t have to add anything to that,” said Shastri.

After losing 6 matches on the trot with RCB, Kohli and his men displayed incredible fightback to win 5 of the next 8 games. Although the upsurge in form couldn’t see them bag a spot in the playoffs, it was only one solitary point that separated the bottom-placed side form fourth-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Personally, Kohli emerged as the top-scoring RCB batsman while also bagging 8th spot in the overall list. In 14 games played, the 30-year-old scored 464 runs at an average of 33.14 including a hundred and two fifties.

With a brief break now between the IPL and the World Cup, Kohli will head to England with the rest of his international teammates on May 22 and look to get himself accustomed to the conditions before taking on South Africa in the opening match on June 05.
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