“He would’ve been a different player” - Former Pakistan batter blames Virat Kohli’s poor form on missing key series

Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali believes Virat Kohli wouldn't have struggled with the bat in the last six months had he played the five-Test home series against England last year. The 54-year-old added that the pitches were well-suited for batters, as India captain Rohit Sharma amassed 400 runs in nine innings, including two centuries.

Kohli had missed the series due to the birth of his second child, Akaay. The 36-year-old scored 190 runs in nine innings at an average of 23.75 in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) against Australia. He also managed 192 runs, averaging 19.2 across five home Tests against Bangladesh and New Zealand.

In a video on his YouTube channel 'Basit Ali,' the former player said (4:15):

"Had Virat Kohli played the Test series against England and not missed it for the birth of his son, he would’ve been a different player. The pitches were brilliant for the first two days before they started to break."

Meanwhile, Ali pointed out that Karun Nair and Sanju Samson should’ve been picked in India's squad for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. He said (11:40):

"Nair and Samson deserved a place. Rohit [actually it was Gautam Gambhir] had spoken about the importance of domestic cricket. Nair has performed in domestics."

Nair was ignored even after scoring 779 runs, averaging 389.50 in eight innings in the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy. He smashed five centuries in the 50-over domestic tournament.

Meanwhile, Samson was sidelined despite his century in his last ODI outing in South Africa in December 2023. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant were picked ahead of Nair and Samson in the India squad.

"Our batters look jittery" - Basit Ali slams Pakistan batting performances in Indo-Pak clashes

Basit Ali slammed the Pakistan batters for their poor show in the Indo-Pak clashes. He said in another video (via his YouTube channel):

"If you ask me, India’s batting is better than Pakistan's. When there is an Indo-Pak match, our (Pakistan) batters look jittery, which is wrong." (18:24)

Pakistan failed to chase 120 against India in the 2024 T20 World Cup, losing the game by six runs. The Men in Green were also bundled out for 191 in 42.5 overs in their 2023 ODI World Cup clash. Rohit Sharma and company clinched that game by seven wickets. The Men in Blue also beat Pakistan by four wickets while chasing 160 in the 2022 T20 World Cup.