Champions Trophy | Write off Kohli at your own peril, says Steve Waugh

Anything is possible: Steve Waugh adds that mercurial Pakistan is capable of surprising India in their high-stakes Champions Trophy clash.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Virat Kohli is not quite the unstoppable force he once was, but it is too early to write him off, former Australia captain Steve Waugh insisted. Criticism could, in fact, motivate Kohli to turn it around, Waugh added.

“I never write off great players. People said that Steve Smith was out of form, and as soon as you say that, they go out and score a hundred. If people write off someone like Kohli, it’s probably the best thing they can do because it will motivate him to perform well,” Waugh said in a virtual media interaction.

Laureus Academy Member Waugh attended the Laureus Sport for Good Mental Health and Wellbeing Forum, funded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust.

Kohli’s recent Achilles heel – hanging the bat outside off-stump – can be rectified easily, Waugh added.

“The tendency to hang the bat outside off stump is something he could rectify pretty quickly. It comes down to concentration and focus. Maybe those are the areas that are down at the moment. Maybe he thinks too far ahead, or thinks about the consequences rather than playing it one ball at a time.”

The 59-year-old stated that India is the favourite in the marquee ICC Champions Trophy clash against Pakistan on Sunday. An unpredictable Pakistan, however, cannot be taken for granted, Waugh said.

Hot and cold

“An India-Pakistan game is more than a cricket match. It’s a huge event. Pakistan has been hot and cold over the last 12 months. They are capable of doing really good things, so you are never sure what Pakistan side is going to turn up. India is the favourite, but it would not surprise me either if Pakistan wins the game.”

With the immense popularity of T20s and the classic appeal of Tests, ODIs are bound to get the short end of the stick, Waugh opined.

“ODIs are now seen as a boring format, but every time we have a World Cup or a major tournament, people fall in love with ODIs again. These tournaments have to be important and have to mean something, rather than having just a couple of games here and there. But it is going to be increasingly hard in the future to fit all formats. The one format which will probably suffer a bit will be one-day cricket,” Waugh said.