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Former wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik opined that Kohli should head back to domestic cricket, which he hasn’t been part of since 2012, and work on the basics.
India batter Virat Kohli (Image: Sportzpics)
Virat Kohli has been far from his best since India’s home season kicked off last month, against Bangladesh. In the last eight innings, the former captain has scored 6, 17, 47, 29*, 0, 70, 1 and 17. Moreover, his record against spin, in 50 innings since 2021, is quite concerning. He has fallen to tweakers on 24 occasions, averaging 33.38. Also, it has been more than a year since he smashed his last Test hundred – the 29th of his career.
While the BCCI has made it mandatory to play domestic cricket to have a consistent run on the international circuit, several experts feel that it’s high time for Virat Kohli as well to go back to basics and finetune his skillset.
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik highlighted Kohli’s struggles against spin and his inability to perform in the ongoing Test series against New Zealand. Speaking to Cricbuzz, Karthik asserted that Kohli has been finding answers to numerous questions, especially about facing spin bowling.
“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 pattern 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 superstardom, you will be thrown challenges and here is another challenge. India likes to play on pitches that aid spin, what is his game plan?” said Dinesh Karthik while speaking to Cricbuzz.
The cricketer-turned-commentator further opined that Kohli should head back to domestic cricket, which he hasn’t been part of since 2012, and work on the basics.
“We all know what he is capable of, 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 it. 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 two to three years, has not been great against spin,” said Karthik.
“What he 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.
