Virat Kohli Visits Chelsea F.C. Stadium as Final India vs England Test Looms at The Oval
Virat Kohli - battling a horrid batting form in the India versus England Test series -- visited Stamford Bridge, former English Premier League champions Chelsea FC's home ground in London.
Out-of-form Virat Kohli is aiming to kick-start his run scoring and has turned to Chelsea Football Club for inspiration it seems. Indian cricket's pin-up boy, who has scored all of 108 runs in four Test matches against England so far, was at Chelsea's home -- Stamford Bridge in London -- on Tuesday. The fifth and final India versus England Test starts at the Oval on Friday. The home team is leading the series 2-1. (Complete coverage of England vs India)
Football has been a great form of recreation in the Indian camp. In Manchester last week, Team India visited Old Trafford's Theatre of Dreams, the home of Manchester United Football Club. Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is an United fan but there was little inspiration for the players as India lost by an innings and in less than three days!
At Stamford Bridge, Kohli posed with an official Chelsea team jersey to show his support. A passionate cricketer, Kohli has often been seen taking the lead during football sessions during practice.
Despite being the pillar of Indian batting in recent years, Kohli - ranked 21st in the ICC list of Test batsmen - has been unable to live up to his reputation in the first four Tests against England. With scores of 1, 8, 25, 0, 28, 28, 0 and 7 - Kohli has looked more like a quivering debutant than a prodigal player that many have billed him to be.
And while every player has a lean phase, former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar feels Indian cricket needs the 25-year-old to score more than ever before. "Kohli is too good a player. But like all good players go through a lean patch, maybe this is a lean patch for him," he recently told NDTV. "But let's hope for Indian cricket's sake that he gets out of it and scores." (Read full report here)
Interestingly, Kohli has fewer runs than England bowlers James Anderson (111) and Moeen Ali (110). While a Padma Shri may be waiting for him back at home, the time to restore fans' faith and any other honour is well and truly upon him.