There’s no end to Virat Kohli’s batting woes, as his lean patch continued with a golden duck against the Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday. Kohli holed out to backward point off Dushmantha Chameera in the first over. This was the fourth instance of him getting out on the first ball in the Indian Premier League. The last time he walked back with a golden duck was in 2017 against Kolkata Knight Riders.

The 33-year-old started the campaign with an unbeaten 41 against Punjab Kings, but in the next six games, he managed just 78 runs. Further, Kohli has now played 100 games across formats, without reaching the triple-figure mark. 

Many thought relinquishing captaincy will bring the best from Kohli but this hasn’t happened so far. His dismal return in the ongoing edition has weakened their top order, and Bangalore has heavily relied on their lower-middle order to win games.

While some feel Virat Kohli should take a sabbatical from cricket, others want RCB to drop their former skipper.

Ravi Shastri, Kevin Pietersen want Virat Kohli to take a break

Meanwhile, Ravi Shastri, the former India head coach, opined that Kohli is ‘overcooked’, and he desperately needs a break. 

“I am going straight to the main guy here. Virat Kohli is overcooked. If anyone needs a break, it’s him. Whether it’s 2 months or a month-and-a-half, whether it’s after England or before England,” he said.

Kevin Pietersen too echoed a similar view: “Virat Kohli needs to say ‘cricket boots, for six months, I will see you later’. Turn off social media, go and get re-energised.”

Despite a top-order failure, Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Lucknow Super Giants by 18 runs, and climbed to No. 2 in the points table.