Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli were touted as India's marquee players for the tour to England. They'd done well in two tough overseas tours of South Africa and New Zealand and hence it was a given that they'd not only find their feet quickly but also form the backbone of the Indian batting. But that hasn't happened, much to India's disappointment, for both of them have looked a pale shadow of their former run-machine self.


Virat Kohli (left) is felled by a delivery from England bowler Chris Woakes during the third Test, while Cheteshwar Pujara (right) is bowled by Ben Stokes at Lord's. Pic/Getty Images 

So, would it be fair to conclude that they're out-of-form? Well, before forming any opinion on this issue it's important to know that there's an inherent difference between lack of form and not scoring runs. In case it's the former, you pick the ball really late from the bowler's hand, your mind is slow to process the information you gather from the point of release and is late to send the signals to your limbs to react in time and reach their appropriate place.