Virat Kohli hasn’t been playing well in Test cricket recently. In both innings of the first Test against Bangladesh, he scored low with 6 and 17 runs. In the first innings, he tried to hit a ball outside the off stump, delivered by Hasan Mahmud, but failed. In the second innings, he was wrongly given out leg before the wicket. If he had reviewed the decision, the Ultra edge showed that the bat touched the ball, meaning he should not have been out.
This year, Virat’s performance has been weak in all formats. In 15 matches and 17 innings, he has only scored 319 runs with an average of 18.76. He has only made one half-century, and his highest score was 76 during the T20 World Cup final against South Africa.
Ravi Shastri, a former India coach, shared an interesting perspective on Virat’s dismissals.
“He’s struggled against spinners, especially in the past few years. But he’s also scored a lot of runs. What we want to see more from him is using his feet to get closer to the ball, maybe trying a sweep shot. You need to adapt to the game, don’t be scared to hit over the top when the field is set up. Try to do things that make the spinners uncomfortable instead of just letting them bowl at you. That’s what he did a lot when he scored many runs,” Shastri said after Kohli got out.
“Also, some of the pitches India has played on haven’t been easy. Plus, there have been some unusual dismissals, like Shubman Gill getting caught on the leg side in the first innings. These things happen, and he’ll definitely be aware of them. Every batter remembers these moments. You just need to find a way to solve the problem, figure out what works best for you, and stick with it.”
