Is Virat Kohli seeking divine intervention to come out of form slump?

London, July 16

Out-of-form India batter Virat Kohli is seeking divine intervention, or so it seems as the former skipper was spotted with his wife Anushka Sharma attending a Krishna Das discourse in London. Kohli, who is in England with the India team for the month-long multi-format series, has been going through an extraordinarily long lean patch which has seen him not score a century since November 2019.

His performance in the rescheduled fifth Test at Edgbaston was one of the reasons for India losing the game by seven wickets. Kohli could only manage 11 and 20 in the two innings, while in the three-match T20I series, the cricketer scored 1 and 11 in the second and third games.

One of the most prolific T20 players in the world, Kohli missed the first One-day International against England due to a groin strain, but his struggles coninued in the second match, scoring just 16 at Lord's as the visitors lost by 100 runs.

Legendary India cricketer Kapil Dev has pointed out that the cricketing world is waiting for a long time for Kohli to get back to his scoring self.

"Yes, it's a bit of a concern that he is taking so much time to get back in form, a great player doesn't take this long. I don't have any problems if he is dropped or rested but I want him to get (his) back in form. One innings can change a great player's fortune but when will that come, we don't know. We are waiting for (almost) two years for that," Kapil has been quoted as saying.

Amid his poor form, images have surfaced on social media of Kohli and his wife, actress Anushka Sharma, attending a discourse by Krishna Das, which Wikipedia says is "an American vocalist known for his performances of Hindu devotional music known as kirtan".

Images on twitter show Virat, Anushka and an unknown person attending the discourse in London. "Virat Kohli & @AnushkaSharma Attended @KrishnaDas' Kirtan In London. @imVkohli #Virushka #ViratGang," tweeted a fan.

Fans were quick to respond to the images, with several of them wishing Virat a quick return to form.

In fact, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam too has backed Virat to come out of the form slump soon, saying, "As a player myself, I know you can go through such a phase (out of form). I also know what a player goes through in such a phase and how can one come out of it. In those times, you need support. He is one of the best. He is playing a lot (of cricket) and he knows how to come out of these situations. It takes time, if you back players, it will be really good."

--IANS