"When a big player faces…"- Irfan Pathan feels Virat Kohli deserved support during his first slump, but not for five years

Irfan Pathan said that he backed Virat Kohli during his first slump in 2019-2020.

Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan feels that Virat Kohli deserved support during his dip in form for the first time in test cricket. However, he cannot be supported for over five years. Pathan also noted that he backed Kohli during his first slump at the start of 2020.

Between 2016 to 2019, Kohli emerged as one of the best batters in test cricket and was at the peak of his career. In 2016, 2017, and 2018, the right-handed batsman amassed more than 1000 runs in each year at an average over 50. He also had an average of more than 60 in 2019.

However, the former Indian skipper faced a slump in his form at the start of 2020. Between 2020 to 2022, Kohli failed to hit any centuries in test cricket for almost three years. After struggling to score runs in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 Down Under, Kohli announced his retirement from test cricket in May 2025.

I feel that when a big player faces his first slump, he should be backed: Irfan Pathan

Speaking on The Lallantop show, cricketer-turned-commentator Pathan said that he backed Kohli in 2020, when the latter faced his first slump in batting form. However, he added that a player cannot be supported for five years.

“Virat Kohli had a slump in 2019-2020. You can see my social media of that time — I backed Kohli a lot. I feel that when a big player faces his first slump, he should be backed,” he said.

“He deserves it too, because he won many matches for the team. But if this slump lasts for five years, then it is not right. In the end, the team is the most important,” he added.

The 40-year-old also noted that Kohli’s struggle against offside deliveries was a big issue, which helped opposition teams to outplay him continuously.

“When a player gets out in the same way, the opposing team will get you out with Plan A itself. They will not need to go to Plan B. It is the job of a champion player to take you from Plan A to Plan B,” Pathan said.

“The problem with Virat Kohli in Test cricket was that he was getting out in the same manner continuously. This does not mean that he is a bad player. He is a great player. But what is happening is also true. We have to tell what is happening, with details,” he added.

With 9230 runs in 123 matches at an average of 46.85, Kohli retired as the fourth highest run-scorer for India in test cricket. The 36-year-old is only active in ODIs, having retired from the T20Is last year. He will be next seen during the ODI series against Australia in October.

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