Batting superstar Virat Kohli has hit a slump.

It happens.

He has not scored a century since 2019 and his recent performances against England have not been anything great to write about.

Cricket fans and pundits are beginning to discount him and are saying he shouldn’t be guaranteed a place in the national team based on current form.

Even the great Kapil Dev is throwing shade.

Kohli’s contribution to Indian cricket cannot be disputed. His record over the years speaks for itself. He is box office.

I didn’t know too much about Virat Kohli until I got chatting with the one and only Viv Richards, who incidentally is my favourite batsman to watch. He told me that Virat is the best and, in many ways, reminds him of himself when he dominated bowlers back in the day.

Since West Indies lost its way since Brian Lara left, I haven’t taken much of an interest in cricket but hearing Viv, I was compelled to check out this guy Virat Kholi.

He was fantastic and Viv was right.

I am a big fan of Chris Gayle and we bump into each other from time to time on the social scene. I love watching his destructive batting and admire his approach to the game. Next time I see him in Triple Century, I will ask him what he makes of this chatter about dropping Kohli.

The critics are laying it on thick. Since Virat got married, he has lost his way, his technique is now being questioned, he should make way for other players looking to prove themselves, he lacks confidence.

What Virat needs to always remember is that form is temporary; class is permanent.

He is among the best batsmen India has ever produced. Yes, he is up there with the legends such as Tendulkar, Dravid, Sharma, Dhoni and Gavaskar.

Right now, by his own high standards, he is in a rut, but to be in the team gives India an added dimension. Both his teammates and the opposition know he is class and is capable of turning a game.

Let’s face it, he averages 50 in all three formats of the game. You want him playing his way back into form. He has been sidelined for the ODIs against the West Indies and the feeling is he needs to be rested so he can be at his very best during the tests.

All of India together with his teammates should rally around him. Rohit Sharma has graciously done so, valuing his contribution to the team. At 34 there is still plenty of cricket left in Kholi and he can continue to be a force for years to come.

Rafael Nadal is now 36 and is still dominating tennis. Roger Federer turns 41 and will come back and must be reckoned with. Tom Brady will be 45 in a few weeks and is still considered one of the best quarterbacks in the game. Ronaldo at 37 is still showing Manchester United strikers how it should be done and was the club’s leading goal scorer last season.

Some guys can hold back Father Time. I’m betting on Kholi to do the same.

Sachin Tendulkar retired at 40 and it wasn’t until he was 38, that there was a noticeable decline in his considerable powers.

Kholi will have to do some introspection but as he has always done, he will prevail and prove the doubters wrong.

Perhaps India’s greatest captain, an outstanding batsman and now president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Sourav Ganguly’s take on the Virat Kohli situation is insightful.

Of Kohli, he said: “ He himself knows by his own standards it has not been good and I see him coming back and doing well. But he has got to find his way and become successful, which he has been for the last 12-13 years or more and only Virat Kholi can do that.

“These things will happen in sport. It has happened to everybody. It has happened to Sachin (Tendulkar), it has happened to Rahul (Dravid), it has happened to me, it has happened to Kohli. It is going to happen to future players. That’s part and parcel of sport and I think as a sportsman, you just need to listen, be aware of what it is, and just go and play your game.”