Is Virat Kohli going through a rough patch? India batting coach Vikram Rathour comments

Former Indian skipper Virat Kohli has not been in the most extraordinary form with the bat. While he has been highly inconsistent in scoring runs, he has failed to score an international century in over a couple of years now. With many believing that Kohli has an extended rough patch, Team India batting coach Vikram Rathour feels otherwise.

Despite coming off a decent run in the One-Day Internationals (ODIs) in South Africa, Kohli fared miserably at home to Windies, scoring 26 runs in three matches at an average of 8.6, with a top score of just 18. However, Rathour remarked that he has been doing well in the nets and asserted that he would be back to scoring runs in the upcoming Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) at home against the Windies.

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"I don't think he's going through a lean phase. I understand he had a poor series against the West Indies, but no conversation. He's batting well in the nets and the kind of preparation he's putting in. I'm certain that in one of these innings, he will be back among runs," Rathour said during a press conference in Kolkata, reports PTI.

Besides Kohli, Rathour also hailed the other batters for practising with their best possible effort to keep themselves in top form ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. However, he reckoned that some injuries had led to the batter struggling with preparations. "Till we have everybody available, it's difficult to make sure what their role is going to be. But so far, that's the focus. We have started our preparation for Australia," he said.

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On the other hand, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant opened the innings during the second ODI against the Windies. While it was a surprise to all, as he was decent, it was not entirely surprising, considering that he had done so during his U-19 days. Asked whether the 24-year-old can transition into an opener ahead of India's 2023 ICC World Cup, Rathour preferred him for the lower middle-order.

"It will depend on the team's scenario then and what the team wants from him. I do not doubt that he [Pant] will be an important member of the side beyond 2023. But, we can utilise him in a better way lower down the order, which can be challenging as we don't have many options of a left-hander in the middle-order. We will see at that point of time where he can be more useful," Rathour concluded.