Anil Kumble Advises Virat Kohli to ‘Relax’, Take Cues from Rohit Sharma to Regain Form

Anil Kumble Advises Virat Kohli to ‘Relax’: Former India captain and coach Anil Kumble feels that Virat Kohli is "trying too hard" and that's making it tougher for him to find form amid a lean patch.

Kohli has managed just 137 runs in the six ODI innings he has played after the 2023 World Cup, with a single half-century. In India's first game in Champions Trophy 2025, Kohli made 22 off 38 before falling to Bangladesh legspinner Rishad Hossain in Dubai.

Since the 2023 World Cup, Kohli has struggled in ODis, managing just 137 runs in six innings with a solitary half-century. In India's opening match of the 2025 Champions Trophy against Bangladesh in Dubai, he scored 22 off 38 balls before falling to legspinner Rishad Hossain.

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"Having been through a lean patch, so to speak, especially in white-ball cricket - he hasn't had that kind of run for a long period of time - I feel he's trying a bit too hard," Kumble said.

"You have that in players who have been there and done that before and everyone sort of looks up to you saying he's the guy who's going to take the game away and he's the one guy who is the important man in the team," Kumble said.

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"When you have that kind of pressure and you have that kind of expectation, you suddenly start putting undue importance to all of that and then try hard to do well. When you do that, you're not really relaxed.

"The best innings that I am sure he's played, he's not even thinking about all of that. The best bowling performances, you're not even thinking about all of that.

"I think he's trying a bit too hard. You can see that in the way he is going about his innings. He just needs to not worry about it. Rohit (Sharma) comes in there, has the freedom because there is plenty of batting and all of them are in great form. Similarly for Virat, he just needs to come in and not worry about anything else," he said.

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