Mahela Jayawardene believes Virat Kohli has the tools to come out of slump in form

NEW DELHI: Former Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene believes that talismanic India batter Virat Kohli has got the tools to come out of a prolonged slump in form.

On Monday, Kohli, along with fellow batter KL Rahul, made a return to India's T20I side for the Asia Cup, starting from August 27 in the UAE. Kohli has been in a prolonged lean patch, not scoring a century in international cricket since November 2019.

He returns to the side having last featured during India's tour of England in July and was rested for white-ball tour of West Indies and the upcoming ODIs against Zimbabwe.

Virat Kohli also has been short of T20I match practice since the 2021 World Cup, playing just four games — two against the West Indies at home and two against England. He didn't have an impressive IPL 2022, making just two half-centuries and a total of 341 runs from 16 innings for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

"It is unfortunate what Virat is going through right now at the moment, but he is a quality player. I believe Virat has the tools to come out of it (the form slump). He has done that in the past as well and I'm sure he'll come through this. Class is permanent and form is temporary," said Jayawardene in the latest episode of The ICC Review show.

Apart from Kohli, Rahul's return will garner huge interest from Indian fans, who has been out of action since participating in IPL 2022 in May. A groin injury ruled him out of the T20I series against South Africa at home in June. He then underwent a sports hernia surgery in Germany, ruling him out of England tour. IANS

Also Read: Virat Kohli, Rahul return; Jasprit Bumrah out of Asia Cup due to injury

Also Watch: Guwahati Police Seizes 20,000 Bottles of Anrex Cough Syrup, 2 Held