Virat Kohli has been a subject of worry for Indian cricket fans as of late, especially considering his poor run of form during the current season. Kohli is playing his first Ranji Trophy match since 2012 as he is back to play for Delhi against Railways after over a decade in domestic cricket. His form is an issue for India, too, as Kohli has faced a lot of dismissals and even been exposed frequently by the pacers and particularly those taking advantage of the line outside off stump, a chink in the armour that plagued him throughout this season.

Here was the very problem with his dismissal outside his off-stump line during Border-Gavaskar Trophy – that led Kohli to his miserable run of scores. His struggles have been a topic of discussion among experts and former cricketers alike, who have pointed out this flaw in his technique.

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Recently, his former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) teammate Mohammad Kaif, who was also part of the Uttar Pradesh team during Kohli’s last Ranji Trophy game, reflected on Kohli’s early struggles and how they’ve persisted over time. Kaif shared a memory of their 2012 Ranji Trophy encounter when Uttar Pradesh played against Delhi, highlighting how even back then, Kohli faced difficulties against deliveries outside off-stump.

Did you know that I was on the field when Virat Kohli played Ranji Trophy last time? Here’s the story from that game.#CricketWithKaif11 pic.twitter.com/eRTE0xesGh

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) January 29, 2025

Mohammad Kaif recalled how Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissed Kohli twice in that match, noting that the same weakness was visible in Kohli’s recent dismissals in Australia. Kaif expressed disbelief that despite the years of experience Kohli has gained since that time, the same technical flaw remains. 

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The Ranji match in the year 2012 played at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Ghaziabad saw Uttar Pradesh win by a margin of six wickets. Kohli scored 14 and 43 in the same game, which became his last for Delhi in the tournament. The game featured two stalwarts in captaincy – Virender Sehwag and Delhi while Suresh Raina captained Uttar Pradesh. Kohli’s recent form has again brought up questions about his technical changes and the persistence of the weaknesses he once showed.