Virat Kohli last scored a Test ton in 2023 as he played a knock of 121 against West Indies in Port of Spain. Ever since then, the right-handed batter has played six Tests, failing to go past the 50-run mark, on just two occasions. In the ongoing Test series against New Zealand, Kohli’s form has become a big concern as he has been struggling against the turning ball. In the second Test at Pune, Kohli was dismissed by Mitchell Santner in both the innings, marking the first time when the batter was dismissed twice in a Test by a left-arm spinner.
Kohli’s poor form has emerged as one of the reasons behind India’s first home Test series loss since 2012. Ever since 2020, the former India captain has not replicated the kind of form he showed from 2012-2019. In the last four years, Kohli has just scored two Test tons, and both of them came in 2023, one against Australia on a flat pitch in Ahmedabad and the other against West Indies.
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has said that it is now a recurring pattern of Kohli being dismissed by spinners, and the right-handed batter needs to find solutions.
“Virat Kohli has not had it easy, the series has not been good to him, three out of four innings, he has disappointed. It’s obviously a recurring partner where spinners have troubled him, and I think he will go and figure out what he needs to do to come out stronger. He is a man, who is searching for answers. When you reach that level of genius and super stardom, you will be thrown challenges and here is another challenge. India likes to play on pitches that aids spin, what is his gameplan?” said Dinesh Karthik while speaking to Cricbuzz.
‘Should go back to domestic cricket’
Dinesh Karthik also stated that Kohli should “probably go back to domestic cricket” in order to regain his mojo, that once made him the best batter in the world.
“We all know what he is capable, this series was not meant to be. Like the fans have been saying, he has not done it for a long time and that we cannot run away from. We don’t want to sugarcoat it because we want to be as objective in assessing any player, any performance, at the moment Virat Kohli’s Test record in the last 2-3 years, has not been great against spin,” said Karthik.
“What we needs to do, is probably go back to domestic cricket and focus on what needs to be done with the current rules of DRS. There is no doubt the left-arm spinners pose a big threat,” he added.
In the ongoing series against the Kiwis, Kohli has just managed 88 runs in four innings, with 70 coming in the second innings of the first Test, played at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Kohli would now hope to get back into the groove in the third and final Test against New Zealand, before travelling to Australia for the all-important Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
