Virat Kohli's poor run of form is among the biggest concerns for the Indian cricket team as the team heads towards a transition following a nightmare 2024-25 season that saw them suffer a humiliating 3-0 defeat to New Zealand at home before losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 3-1 to Australia.

Despite scoring a century in the first Test, Kohli ended the series with just 190 runs in nine innings at an average of 23.75. Earlier, he made just 93 runs in six innings in the home series against New Zealand at an average of 15.5. The former Indian captain's Test average has dropped to below 47 for the first time in a decade, with major questions about whether he will be on the flight to England later this year.

Evidently, Kohli is not just going through a rough patch but facing technical issues in his batting, as he was dismissed on all eight occasions against Australia after edging a delivery from a pacer outside the off-stump to either the wicket-keeper or a slip fielder.

Kohli's struggles have also raised question marks on the coaching staff of the Indian team as the former skipper leads the line of several Indian batters struggling with the bat. However, it has been questioned if a coach can make a difference to a player of Kohli's stature.

Former India bowling coach Bharat Arun revealed that when suggested changes, Kohli will question the judgment and want valid reasons. Arun recalled how Ravi Shastri helped Kohli make a vital technical change after his horror tour of England in 2014 but warned that the current coaching staff does not have the stature of Kohli.

"Virat will ask questions when you suggest, obviously he's world no.1 batter. He will ask how are you saying this, what mistake did I make? I scored runs, why did you not tell me at that time?," said Arun on former cricketer Subramanium Badrinath's YouTube channel.

“Shastri told him, ‘You stand on the leg stump and the ball swings in England. You cannot stand here, stand on the middle stump, come out of the crease. You are the owner of the crease. Kohli followed this in Australia and scored four centuries. To say this to Kohli, one needs to have the kind of stature and confidence that Ravi Shastri had, which I think the current coaching staff does not have,”

While Gautam Gambhir is the head coach of the Indian team, both Abhishek Nayyar and Ryan Ten Doeschate are assistant coaches. Meanwhile, Morne Morkel is serving the role of bowling coach while T Dilip is the fielding coach.

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