The numbers say he’s finished, but one simple change could revive Kohli’s career

In 2004, Sachin Tendulkar shelved the cover drive on his way to a famous unbeaten double century in Sydney. Virat Kohli may have to follow suit if he is to bow out of Test cricket on his own terms.

At a glance, Kohli, 36, has the numbers of a player who is gone, but this is not one of the cases where if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.

Virat Kohli departs the MCG on Monday, caught in the cordon again. Credit: AP

Unlike Rohit Sharma, whose game looks completely off, Kohli’s issue is a question of technique and temperament. Kohli is still in pristine physical condition. But while his eyes and reflexes may not be as sharp as they once were, it’s a lack of discipline that is hurting him most.

Kohli’s career has been built on control, but he is now having trouble suppressing his natural urges, whether it’s ignoring hecklers in the crowd, picking blues with a teenaged debutant or, most obviously, balls outside off stump.

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