Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri said Virat Kohli used to hit feet more and looked to go over the top against spinners to overcome his poor form against them on Day 2 of the first India-Bangladesh Test in Chennai as well. However, Kohli was trapped LBW against off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz for only 17 in India’s second innings at the tail end of the second day on Friday, September 20 as well. He has faced a poor time against spin in Asian conditions over the past three years with an under-27 and a strike rate of 45.61 with 18 dismissals since 2021 as well.
After his latest dismissal, Shastri on-air during his commentary said: “He has [gotten out to spinners] especially in the last 2-3 years. But he has scored a lot of runs too. What you want to see him do more is use his feet. Get to the pitch of the ball, probably employ the sweep. You’ve got to move with the times, don’t be afraid to go over the top when the field is up. You could try and do things to unsettle the spinners rather than allowing him to keep bowling at you. It’s what he did a lot when he scored a lot of runs.”
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However, Kohli did not feature in the home series against England earlier this year and he also struggled on his return during the ongoing Bangladesh series as well. Notably, he was nicked off only 6 in the first innings and finished with a match tally of 23 runs only. But, Ravi Shastri backed Virat Kohli by mentioning that India have played on challenging tracks over the past few years and that he has occasionally been dismissed in unfortunate ways as well.
“Also some of the tracks that India have played on. It’s not been easy. Plus I know a few dismissals where like Shubman Gill in the first innings, he’s gotten caught down leg wide. Funny dismissals. He’ll be aware of it. That’s for sure. There is no batter who doesn’t remember. Obviously you find a method of finding a solution. Find out what works for you and stick with that,” concluded Ravi Shastri.
