"He has to ponder over his shot selection" - Saba Karim on Virat Kohli failing with the bat in the first Test vs South Africa

Former Indian cricketer Saba Karim feels Virat Kohli should reflect on his shot selection. The Indian Test captain was dismissed while chasing a wide delivery way outside off stump in the first innings of the ongoing Test against South Africa.

The Indian skipper, who hasn't scored a ton in the last 28 months, failed to convert yet another start. He was dismissed for 35 by South African seamer Lungi Ngidi.

During his two-hour stay at the crease, Kohli seemed to bat with clarity of mind and solid technique. However, he had to pay a heavy price for a momentary loss of concentration. He tried to play a reckless cover drive off an extremely wide delivery and got dismissed in the process.

Speaking on a YouTube podcast - 'Khelneeti', former keeper Saba Karim divulged that Kohli has been getting out at crucial junctures. Karim said:

"He (Kohli), over the years, has been a dominant and an authoritative batter. And we haven't seen that characteristic of his since last 2-3 years. Though, he has to ponder over his shot selection. When he's moving past the initial period, he feels that this is the moment to score a big one. And that's when he's getting out. And I feel that this may be a worrying factor and he has to work on this."

Karim also mentioned that Kohli will now need to work with head coach and batting veteran Rahul Dravid to improve on his recent performances. The 54-year old said:

"Virat will definitely now have to discuss with Dravid regarding how he can stimulate situations, how he practice against different kinds of bowlers."

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"Stats will be hurting Virat Kohli a lot" - Saba Karim on Virat Kohli's failure to convert his starts

1st Betway WTC Test: South Africa v India - Day 1

Virat Kohli has been dismissed 22 times (the most) between scores of 10-49 runs in his Test career. The stat indicates the 33-year old's inability to convert his starts into big scores.

With Kohli's search for that elusive 71st international ton still ongoing, Saba Karim talked about the dilemma the modern great is facing in the longest format. While stating that Kohli needs to curb his attacking instincts in order to get past his lean patch, Karim said:

"The stats would've been hurting Virat Kohli a lot. Any batter can get dismissed below 10 runs which means he's not set yet. However, if a player is getting out after scoring 10+ runs, means he has settled. And a player like Virat Kohli, who has scored numerous tons in his prime form, he isn't able to do that now. It now depends on how he curbs his attacking instincts in order to get past his ongoing lean phase."

Following Kohli's dismissal after tea, Ajinkya Rahane joined KL Rahul in the middle. The duo then scored at a brisk rate and took the visitors to 272/3 at stumps on Day 1.