Mumbai: In their special meeting, cricketing legend Greg Chappell has shared his insights into a unique phenomenon he calls the Elite Performance Decline Syndrome (EPDS), which he credits for the difficult paths travelled by some of the greatest cricketers of all time, like Sachin Tendulkar, Steve Waugh, and Ricky Ponting. As the Indian cricket team prepares for an important series in Australia, Chappell’s remarks on Virat Kohli’s recent poor performance have generated a lot of controversy among both sports fans and analysts alike.
Kohli, who had been a remarkable powerhouse of batting, has, however, experienced a noticeable drop in form of late, especially after the home series against New Zealand. He did get a century in Australia, but his overall results have been concerning enough for the fans to seek his exclusion from the team. Chappell reasons that Kohli’s issues at the moment are more a case of emotional hurdles than body limitations.
The central solution to the problem is the restoring of this emotion we call confidence, so Chappell noted. He sees a shift in Kohli’s psychology as the cure for his hitting troubles. In the life of a seasoned player in the international cricket circuit, the road back to good form often involves getting into emotional freedom and getting self-doubt out. But as Chappell illustrated, going through such a journey is more often twice as easily said; it is what people say.
Chappell states that the initial signs of the EPDS arise as small alterations in the behaviour of a player. Kohli, the aggressive starter of his innings, who used to be notorious for that, has recently gone a bit tentative with the bat. This change has been confusing, as, in the beginning, it looked like, after getting a buffer score of at least 20 runs, he would be able to find himself again. Lately, the Australian bowlers succeeded in targeting what was once his strong point, as his stunning offside hit turned into a goal for his dismissal.
Though he went through a rough patch, Chappell is adamant that Kohli is still a great player. The other critical question is, however: Is it the right decision for the Indian team to continue supporting him? Perspectives differ among fans and cricket lovers. As time shows, plenty of those exalted players met similar crises in the twilight of their careers. This leads to the main discussion about whether Kohli is a burden or an asset, which is really a subjective matter.
At the moment, Kohli is in a crucial place in his career. It is not as simple as guessing the time for the exit; it is more about the question of whether he could leave like a champion, which is possible only if he overcomes the tensions that he created himself.
This time around, the cricket faithful are more concerned with Koili’s performance rather than the technical aspect of it. His career changes from the usual statistics to becoming a case of mental determination, psychological problems, as well as a hero in the sporting arena.
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