Virat Kohli on his keens, looking uncomfortable against spin – read full

After India’s loss in the match in Bengaluru, Virat Kohli faced a lot of challenges against spin in the second Test against New Zealand in Pune. Virat Kohli, who had an excellent record against spin bowlers for most of his career, found himself struggling in this match.

At the crucial moment, the left-arm spinner tried to sweep shot a full toss from Mitchell Santner, but misjudged the ball completely, resulting in him scoring just 1 run after facing 9 balls. His reaction was telling – he briefly dropped to his knees before walking off the field. Although he showed signs of a return to form with a 70-run performance in the Bangalore Test, he could not carry that momentum into Pune. He was dismissed by Glenn Phillips in Bangalore.

Kohli’s constant struggles against spin, especially on Asian pitches, is becoming a worrying trend. He has been dismissed by spin bowlers 21 times in Asia so far in 2021. In the last 3 years, he scored just 259 runs at an average of 28 against left-arm spinners in 21 Test innings. And this includes 10 dismissals by left-arm spinners during this period.

Kohli has scored 606 runs against spin in Asian conditions since 2021, at an average of 28.85 – far below his usual standards. Their early dismissal in Pune came at a crucial time when India were already under pressure after New Zealand scored 259 in the first innings. By lunch on Day 2, India found themselves in a precarious position at 107/7 and were eventually bowled out for just 156 runs.