How Virat Kohli reacted to honest feedback about his batting in the final Test series

Former India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate revealed how he plucked up the courage to speak to Virat Kohli about his cover issues during the last Test series in Australia. The former Dutch batsman said he learned from some of the best coaches the importance of opening talks with players without being afraid, even when dealing with established stars.

Kohli’s struggle against deliveries in the corridor of uncertainty off the stumps, he came into focus during India’s five-Test series in Australia in 2024-25. The former captain started the tour with a brilliant unbeaten hundred in Perth but it went downhill after that. Eight times he was dismissed in similar fashion, caught behind or in the slips, often after attempting expansive drives outside the off-stump.

Kohli finished the series with 190 runs at an average of 23.75. His last Test innings came in Sydney, where he managed just six runs before being dismissed by Scott Boland when caught at slip. He announced his retirement from Test cricket a few months later.

Ten Doeschate revealed in an interview with talkSPORT that he eventually approached Kohli during the fourth Test after noticing how he was performing repeatedly.

“I never want to be a coach who is afraid of someone else’s opinion or of stepping in and saying the right thing. I was telling Cam about Virat and the problems he had in Australia, he was driving the ball and he caught me off guard. I finally went up to him during the fourth Test to intervene and have a chat. He was great about it. He actually wanted someone to talk to him,” he told Doeschate.

The former India assistant coach admitted that reaching out to players of Kohli’s stature can be a difficult task for any coach. He said he spent a lot of time thinking about how to get the message across without sounding like a criticism.

“I was fortunate enough to have a decent relationship with Virat. He’s obviously not someone who needs a lot of coaching. One thing that really struck me was how similar his dismissals were becoming.

“I finally found the right moment during the rain break to deliver it in a fairly non-confrontational way. I have to thank him that the way he took it made it a really good discussion.”

Ten Doeschate said the talk did not lead to the turnaround India had hoped for towards the end of the series. However, he believes coaches should not shy away from difficult conversations due to the growing influence of players in modern cricket.

VIRT KOHLI’S REACTION

He cited former South Africa coach Gary Kirsten as an example and said some of the best coaches were those who knew how to start a conversation rather than impose their views.

“You don’t have to agree. Virat explained why he wanted to play the way he played and we didn’t even tweak anything around it,” he said.

Ten Doeschate added that knowing when to offer technical advice was just as important as knowing what to say.

Virat Kohli returned to domestic cricket to take part in the Ranji Trophy in Delhi earlier in 2025, signaling his intention to continue playing Test cricket and be part of India’s tour of England. However, he announced his retirement from the longest format midway through the IPL season.

Kohli has continued to perform in ODIs and his consistency in the format has improved since he retired from Tests. In 24 matches, he scored 1284 runs at an average of over 60, including five hundreds.

Former Head Coach of India Ravi Shastri recently backed Kohli to continue playing Test cricketpointing to his prowess and willingness to put in the hard yards. Meanwhile, Kohli has shown little sign of slowing down in the 50-over format. He started India’s tour of New Zealand with a smooth 74 in a tricky chase in Auckland, breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most runs in successful ODI chases.

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