Brad Hogg Says Virat Kohli Has 'Too Much on His Plate' – Can He Bounce Back to Form?

Brad Hogg, the former Australia cricketer, believes Virat Kohli has "too much on his plate" at the moment, with off-field distractions impacting his form on the field. Kohli had a forgettable Australia tour, where, despite scoring a century in the first Test, his performance dropped drastically in the following matches. He ended the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with just 190 runs from 10 innings, as India lost the series 1-3.

Hogg pointed out that the drama surrounding Kohli off the field could be contributing to his lack of focus and inconsistent performances. Following India’s series loss, the BCCI introduced new rules, including restrictions on player families traveling with them. Under the new policy, families can only join players for two weeks on tours lasting 45 days or more, and for shorter tours, the duration is limited to one week.

Virat’s Delay in Ranji Trophy Return

Kohli had also been set to return to domestic cricket after 12 years but was ruled out of the game against Saurashtra due to a neck strain. While it is expected that Kohli will play in Delhi's next game, his participation is yet to be confirmed. Delhi, meanwhile, faced a tough outing against Saurashtra, where Ravindra Jadeja's 12-wicket haul put them on the back foot, and Rishabh Pant’s failures with the bat didn’t help their cause.

Indian Players Struggle in Ranji Return 

The Ranji Trophy match between Mumbai and JK became one of the most-watched domestic games, featuring big names like Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ajinkya Rahane, and Shreyas Iyer.

However, the match took an unexpected turn as these star batters failed to deliver in both innings, raising concerns about their future in longer formats. Rohit Sharma's second innings began aggressively with three sixes and two fours, but he failed to convert his start. Jaiswal, too, struggled, scoring just 26 runs. Despite a top-order collapse, Shardul Thakur's century gave Mumbai a 188-run lead by the end of day 2.

As Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal struggled to make an impact on their return, all eyes are now on Kohli. Can he shake off the off-field distractions and make a strong comeback, or will the pressure continue to affect his game? Only time will tell.