'The game is a great leveller, he'll be back at some point' - Allan Donald on Virat Kohli's current form

With his decision to step down as India's Test captain, Virat Kohli took the world by storm. However, over the last few years, the batting maestro hasn't been at his best. Despite regularly getting the fifties, he hasn't been able to convert them in the recent past.

Advertisment

In the first of the three-match ODI series against South Africa, Kohli scored 51 off 63 balls. He looked absolutely fluent before Tabraiz Shamsi managed to pick his wicket. After the 33-year-old was dismissed, India had a batting collapse and thus, went on to lose the game by 31 runs. Thus, Allan Donald recently spoke about the Delhi batter's current form.

He was of the opinion that the legendary batter would definitely be "back at some point". While speaking to Telegraph India, the former pacer said that the Proteas did well to put pressure on the Indian batter. He also spoke about how they bowled in the right areas.

Even Steve Smith hasn't really been on fire since his comeback: Allan Donald

Advertisment

"I'm not sure if Virat was exposed technically, but South Africa hammered away at the basic areas and let the pitch do the business when bowling to him. The bowlers piled on the basic pressure really well," said Allan Donald. He also went on to speak about Kohli's form, and cited the fact that even the best of the best players have gone through a lean patch.

"Virat invincible? No. But even the greatest have gone through a slump, as the game is a great leveller. Even Steve Smith hasn't really been on fire since his comeback after the ball-tampering issue. I know Virat's standards and I'm sure he will be back at some point. It won't take long," he added.

After Kohli was dismissed for 51, the Rahul-led side went from 152/3 in 28.2 overs to 214/8 in 42.2 overs. The Bavuma-led side currently leads the series by 1-0. Thus, the visitors will have to win the second ODI if they are to stay alive in the series.