With just 190 runs in nine innings under his belt, Virat Kohli had a forgetful tour of Australia, raising doubts over his future in the Indian team. Kohli's weakeness against deliveries outside the off-stump was brutally exposed by Australian quicks, especially Scott Boland, who dismissed him four out of five times in the series. Barring his century in the second innings of the Perth Test, Kohli had a series to forget against Australia. Calls have been made for the selection committee to drop the out-of-form Kohli.
However, some have suggested that the former India captain should get a longer rope in the team considering his legacy and past records.
While speaking on Club Prairie Fire Podcast, former cricketers Adam Gilchrist and Michael Vaughan rated the Indian players on the basis of their performance in the series against Australia.
"We did say that, he's an all-rounder package. He brings eyeballs to the game, so yeah 7.5/10," Gilchrist said, highlighting the entertainment factor.
Vaughan echoed Gilchrist's sentiements, pointing out Kohli's clash with Australia youngster Sam Konstas.
"He (Virat Kohli) brought the barge, sandpaper, geed up the crowd. He's probably run at Konstas faster than I've seen anybody run at player in history of the game. I'm gonna give him a 7/10 for the entertainment that Virat Kohli brings," Vaughan added.
Apart from Kohli's poor batting performance Down Under, his confrontation with teenager Konstas also put him in a bad light. Kohli was involved in a shoulder-barge with the Australia opener during the Melbourne Test in December last year.
The act even saw the India star receiving a penalty of 20 per cent match fee by the International Cricket Council. The incident also fetched a lot of criticism for Kohli.
Kohli also received a hostile reception everytime he walked out to bat, following the incident with Konstas.