If Ashwin can be axed, then Kohli can be dropped, says Kapil Dev

Ahead of India’s second Twenty20 International against England today (July 9), former captain Kapil Dev has made a big statement on star batsman Virat Kohli, who is struggling to score runs in all formats of the game.

Kohli is likely to feature in the Indian playing XI at Edgbaston, Birmingham in Saturday’s game. The Rohit Sharma-led side leads the three-match series 1-0 after winning the opener in Southampton.

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In the first contest, Kohli, Rishabh Pant and others were rested after featuring in the rescheduled fifth Test against the host. They were not included in the squad. However, Kohli is now part of the squad for the remaining fixtures and the three ODIs that follow.

The 33-year-old Kohli has not played a T20I for India since February. Despite his poor form, he is set to walk into the XI for today’s game. However, the Indian team management will have to take a call on dropping either Deepak Hooda or Suryakumar Yadav to accommodate the former skipper.

Kapil was specifically asked on how the Indian team management can fit Kohli into the playing XI with a lot of youngsters doing well.

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“Yes, now the situation is such that you might be forced to bench Kohli from T20 playing eleven. If world No. 2 bowler Ashwin can be dropped from Test side then your No. 1 batter can also be dropped,” Kapil told ABP News.

“I hope Kohli scores runs. And if there’s a (selection) challenge after that, it’s a big one. At the moment, Virat Kohli isn’t playing like the Kohli we know, the one that has made him a legend through his performances. If he isn’t performing, you can’t continue to keep these boys (youngsters) out. I hope there’s a healthy fight for selection, the youngsters should look to outperform Kohli. But Kohli needs to think, ‘yes at one point I was a big player, but I need to play like that No. 1 player again’. That’s a problem for the team, it’s not a bad problem,” the 1983 World Cup-winning captain added.

According to the legendary all-rounder, India’s playing XI should be selected based on current form and not past reputations.

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“Play in-form players when you have loads of options. You can’t just go by reputation but you have to look for current form. You can be an established player but that doesn’t mean that you will be given chances even if you fail five games in a row,” he opined.

While the BCCI selectors have rested Kohli and others for the ODIs against the West Indies and made Shikhar Dhawan the captain for the tour of the Caribbean. Kapil did not like the idea.

“You can call it rest; you can call it dropped. Every person will have his views. If you (selectors) haven’t picked him, you can say we’ve rested the big players because they aren’t performing. Kohli has a lot of ability and talent. You hope such a player comes back. It’s not as if you completely leave him out. If he isn’t performing now, it’s fine (to leave him). Youngsters are playing well. If you can keep Ashwin out, you can keep anyone out,” Kapil said.