Decoding Virat Kohli's Recent Struggle Against Spin-Bowling

Kohli struggled Vs Spinners in SL series [PTI] Kohli struggled Vs Spinners in SL series [PTI]

Virat Kohli, arguably one of the greatest cricketers across the globe has had a poor 2024 season so far. After a terrific series in South Africa, wherein he was the lone warrior for his team, the former India captain has failed to deliver the goods.

The struggle continued in the recently concluded series against Sri Lanka, where he was trapped lbw in three successive games, showcasing his vulnerabilities against the spinners. There was a time when 'King' Kohli, was termed as one of the best players of spin bowling in the country. However, those days are long gone.

Since the last couple of years, he has failed to decode the spinners, especially left-arm bowlers. It was evident against Jeffrey Vandersay and Dunith Wellalage, as both the Lankan bowlers got the upper hand against the Indian stalwart.

But why does he struggle against spin as of late? Is their a technical problem? Let us decode

Kohli's spin struggle in last 3 years

In the last 3 years, Virat Kohli has been dismissed by leg-spinners and left-arm spinners, a total of 25 times. This includes 6 dismissals in Tests, 11 in ODIs and 8 in T20I games. His average against them has also gone down considerably. But what has changed in the last 3 years?

Pre-Covid Kohli was a different breed altogether. He was aggressive, not only against pace, but also against the spinners. The former captain never shied away from using his feet and always believed in dominating the spin bowlers.

But he has changed as a batter in the last 3 years. It's like he allows the bowlers to dictate terms, and it was on the show in the Sri Lankan series, with the same mode of dismissals. He goes into a shell and gets a bit too negative against spin bowling, which leads to his wicket.

Especially in conditions like Colombo, where spinners are effective, Kohli should have used his feet a bit more to counter the bowlers. Instead, he was deep inside his crease and it allowed the likes of Hasaranga, Vandersay and Wellalage to take control of the battle against Kohli.

With the Tests series coming up against another spin-heavy Bangladesh side, Kohli should work on his spin-game, in order to get back to his best.