Virat Kohli had a rough time during his tour of Australia, managing only 190 runs across five Tests, even though he did hit a century in the first match in Perth. He got out in the same way all eight times, consistently chasing after wide balls. His average for the series was just 24, which played a big part in India losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after holding it for a decade.

Ricky Ponting, the former captain of Australia, thinks Kohli still has a lot to contribute to Indian cricket. He even drew parallels between Kohli's current struggles and his own towards the end of his playing days.

It's worth noting that Ponting had an average of 39.48 in his last five years as a Test player, which is quite a drop from his overall average of 51.85.

“The challenge is, and I can see it with Virat now, you can see how much he wants it. He's trying so hard that actually makes batting harder. The harder you try sometimes with batting, the less success you're to have," Ponting shared with ICC Review.

“I started focusing more on not getting out instead of scoring runs. It might sound odd, but that was my mindset. I was aiming for perfection, trying to set the right example and play exactly how my team needed me to all the time," he added.

There's a bit of a mental hurdle

Virat Kohli has only hit three centuries in Test matches over the past five years. He’s been having a tough time, particularly with balls that are pitched well outside the off-stump.

Ponting thinks Kohli might be dealing with a mental hurdle. Still, the former World Cup-winning captain believes the 36-year-old has plenty to contribute to the Indian team.

“When I was at my peak, I didn’t let those thoughts get in my way. I just focused on scoring runs. If I got a half-volley, I’d drive it. If it was a short ball, I’d pull it. I can see a bit of that struggle in Virat now; the way he’s getting out shows he’s hesitant to play those deliveries,” Ponting shared.

He's really trying to hold back, but there's this mental block that's pulling him towards that ball outside the off-stump, he mentioned.

Ponting went on to say, "I probably played for a couple of years longer than I should have, but that wasn’t really my choice. I kept playing to support the younger players coming up, helping them adjust to international cricket, almost like a coach or a mentor since Mike Hussey was also retiring."

"I was thinking we’d be short on experienced players, but then we had guys like Smith, Warner, and Lyon with a bunch of young talent coming in all at once," he added.

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