Mouths will be shut, if Virat Kohli gets a 50 in first game: Ex-coach Ravi Shastri

Bengaluru: If Virat Kohli gets a fifty in the very first game, mouths will be shut for the rest of the tournament, former India head coach Ravi Shastri said ahead of the India-Pakistan Asia Cup clash, scheduled August 28.

"He will come back with a calmer mind, because the heat is off. You have been away. Now, what you do will get the tone. He gets a fifty in the very first game, mouths will be shut for the rest of the tournament," he told reporters on Tuesday in a virtual press conference organised by Star Sports , the official broadcaster of Asia Cup.

Shastri made these comments when he was asked to comment on his personal expectations from Virat in India-Pakistan clash, which is also former India captain's 100th T20I match.

Virat is returning after a five-week break on August 28. He had skipped India's tours of West Indies and Zimbabwe, with an aim to buy time to focus on his game and find solutions to plug holes in his batting.

The star Indian batter has been a topic of debate, with many questioning his spot in the T20I format.

Shastri said all players go through a bad patch and a break from a hectic international schedule would have given him an opportunity to reflect on his mistakes.

"It is not rocket science. Big players wake up in due course. They need a break. Mental fatigue can creep in to the best in the world. There is not a single player in world cricket who has not gone through a bad patch and I am sure this downtime is not just for the body, it is time to reflect. He would have reflected as to what things he could have done better," Shastri said.

On August 28, Virat will look to emerge out of his slump against Pakistan. In the seven games he played against arch-rivals, he has scored 311 runs at an average of 77.75. (UNI)