Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: X(Twtter)
Virat Kohli could be potentially termed as the most complete batter in the white-ball cricket. The statement could be backed by his average in T20Is and ODIs which stands at 48.69 and 58.34 respectively. Though the star batter has retired from the T20Is, ODIs remain his forever abode being the first to notch up 50 centuries in the format.
Over the years, one glaring aspect in his batting has caught everyone’s attention as the white-ball maverick has fallen prey to wrist spin more often than not. The chink in his armor was palpable since 2021 and the batter is known to work on shortcomings and convert them into strength, but the issue with wrists has prolonged.
“He has been struggling against spin specially and I think one thing he can do personally as well is to try and be a little more aggressive, because I think the strike rate against spin has come down as well,” Irfan Pathan had said.
In T20Is, Kohli has played 38 innings since 2021 and has remained unbeaten 10 times by getting dismissed for the wrist spinners five times. In 40 ODI innings, the right-handed batter has remained not out 5 times and has succumbed to wrist spinner 5 times.
In ODIs, he played three innings in 2021, getting dismissed two times to spin with dot balls percentage of 34.8 and a strike rate of 92.1. In 2022, played 6 innings with 5 dismissals and dot ball percentage of 44.6 and strike rate of 79.6. During the World Cup year 2023, played 19 innings, getting dismissed 6 times with a strike rate of 85.9 and dot ball percentage of 39.7
Virat Kohli losing the plot against spin in ODIs
Kohli vs Adil Rashid
During the second ODI against England in 2021 at MCA in Pune, Kohli scored 40 runs against spin combining the spells of Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali as Ben Stokes kept the spinners going at the Delhi batter. He consumed 46 balls against the spin duo to register a strike rate below 100 against them. He eventually fell to Rashid scoring 66 off 79 balls.
Overall he has got rid of Kohli nine times across formats, three in ODIs, twice in T20Is and four times in Tests, making him among the second most bowlers to be dismissed most times in international cricket.
Kohli vs Tabraiz Shamsi
Similar sort of innings when India toured South Africa in 2022 with the first ODI played on January 19. Coming into bat at number three, he scored 41 runs against the spin trio of Aiden Markram, Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj consuming 53 deliveries. He was eventually plucked out by Shamsi scoring 51 off 63 balls.
Fast forward to recent games, as India toured Sri Lanka for the three-match ODI series, with all games scheduled to be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, stakes were not that high for Kohli after winning the T20 World Cup 2024.
The above stats seem negligible for a layman, but in the first two ODIs, Kohli was dismissed LBW by two wrist spinners Wanindu Hasaranga and Jaeffrey Vandersya, for 24 off 32 and 14 off 19 respectively.
“A great batsman like Virat Kohli, the world’s number one batsman, has been out LBW twice. It’s understandable if it happens to Iyer or Dube, but Virat Kohli is Virat Kohli. This means that he is not in practice,” former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali said on his YouTube Channel.
Kohli tackling spin in IPL
The struggle is not restricted to just international cricket, the 37-year-old, since 2021 in IPL has faced 104 barrages from wrist spinners comprised of googlies and doosra’s and scored 116 runs. Talking about the left-arm spinner, he has scored 77 runs in 64 deliveries and a worrisome strike rate of 111.5 and 120.3 respectively.
With the Champions Trophy 2025 sword swinging above the head and some spin-friendly pitches at bay, the batter needs to get back to his 2016 era and produce some strikes from his conventional cricket book predominated by the bottom hand and half-arced bat swing sweeping the turner off the strip.
