Why is Kohli getting out to spin? Dinesh Karthik & Harsha Bhogle discuss

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[@TheSrijitMajumder]

I m starting to think Virat actually doesnt get going unless he takes it personally and gets fired up nowadays. In the IPL the commentators created a strike rate fiasco, and he took it personally. Nothing of note happened in the WC as it was a combined team effort, and Kohli did play a kind of innings you cant even be clear if it was heroic or not. It was the last time he actually played in a way we know him. Nowadays I feel he contributes more to the team as a brand and aura instead of doing his work. The team will rally around him and devote themselves for him, but he is no more the guaranteed performer as we knew him to be. His legacy will remain unmatched though, my favorite memory of him was him putting up a one-man fight against the West Indies in 2016 WC.

[@dukepishposh]

It's often said that legends have nothing left to prove of their talent and should be given a long rope but i beg to differ. When you're representing your country, and you carry hopes of millions you have to prove your worth every single day otherwise leave place for others.

[@vocabvaultzone]

Indian commentator hamesha hi big name players ke against kuch nhi bolte kyuki unhe death threats tak mil jate hain... foreign commentator atleast discuss tobhi karte hain... hopefully a 100 is around a corner

[@farenough7058]

​@@vocabvaultzone sad reality of fans because commentators can't criticise and player will not improve

[@yashpatankar221]

Virat's problems against spin is not new. He has been struggling against spin since 2019. The issue is getting highlighted now cause the frequency of it has increased exponentially. The reason he is struggling is due to the fact that he is not able to pick the length of the ball from the hand, and hence, he tries to play on the backfoot. When the pitch is turning instead of using his feet to get to the pitch of the ball & also, by going on the backfoot he is allowing the ball to turn more and therefore getting lbw or bowled on the backfoot. In the subcontinent, since the bounce is low or many times uneven, these modes of dismissal have become common for him.. This issue of not being able to pick the length of a spinner can be addressed if he plays domestic cricket more often where he will encounter not only turning wickets but good quality spinners. But nowadays, since he skips a lot of matches due to his family commitment, he is basically taking his place in the side for granted... Someone from the top brass of BCCI like JAY SHAH needs to have a word with him regarding this.. His commitment has become an issue, which was never a concern before.

[@kaladypramod]

Absolutely

[@chayan5471]

As a huge Virat fans I absolutely agree with you

[@HarshrajSinghBEE]

On picking the length of the ball you are right that he is missing quite a lot, but from my perspective I think not everytime a batsman can accurately pick the length of the ball, even great players sometimes mis judge the length, so I dont think that's the problem, I think lack of using his feet is the main reason behind his dwindling numbers, because on good length balls where he used to step out and flick it on the leg side but now whenever he plays on front foot he usually extends his reach for only to drive the ball, he is not using his flick shot unless the ball is fuller, so his scoring options are restricted that's why he is going more on backfoot and not because he is missing the length of the ball a lot. That's just what I think is the reason plus the commitment part you said, you are right on that.

[@bored-x5s]

Love how common people give advice to someone who is VK. Common people should start their coaching class, lets see how many international player join them to get better OR should we say school cricket player😂😂

[@Rohit24Kumar]

​@@bored-x5stell me what wrong he has written

[@nirmalyabhattacharya4001]

Sorry but I would differ !! The point regarding the pitches being more difficult is justified. But how does that explain Virat not being able to rotate strike against spin ??? The averages of all batsmen against spin might have dropped but on their best days they can manage it. Gill's second innings half century in the 4th test against England showed that. But Virat actually looks out of sorts against Spin....has been looking so since Covid. Obviously a guy like him realises this better than all of us but sadly, I haven't seen any notable signs of him trying to overcome this issue. He deserves one Giant red ball peak before bowing out and that cannot be achieved without scoring hundreds at home.

[@bepawppy5521]

We can find a hundred different technical reasons but the root cause of Kohli's struggles are lack of practice and desperation. He has increasingly prioritised his family life over the past few years and taken test cricket for granted which is a shame. Kohli of 5 years back would have been much more determined to fix the flaws in his game and would have done whatever was needed but Kohli of present seems to be more worried about how late he can arrive for a tour and how soon he can leave. I wouldn't be surprised if he takes retirement from test cricket next year after the England tour. That is, if he is able to sustain through the Australia tour later this year.

[@AyushLunia13]

Nobody played spin better than lara and ruthlessly like sehwag.

[@akshaymate954]

In the last 30 matches since 2020, Kohli is averaging less than 33. Him along with KL have been given too many opportunities and they have crapped a lot in the top order. Players like Musheer Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Rinku Singh, Pradosh Ranjan Paul and Devdutt Paddikal are some of the players who deserve to be in the squad alongside Jaiswal and Gill. 30 matches and 5 years is a long period to be backing someone to be produce squat. We want players not based on what they have accomplished but what they are today!

[@yogamberaagri3979]

😂😂😂 bro you are coward, don't write this big paragraph just write sack kohli, there is no point to write this big paragraph meanwhile your paragraph summary is sack virat. Virat will be back soon becoz we know he will work hard and back on track, bro sa series exposed batters like jaiswal etc. Virat and Rishab will be key factor in this bgt. This time Australia will come hard. After virat bad patch means that hell of a knock against pakistan he has performed well in test and played very less test matches etc, bro u are including his 2020 stats which is very disgusting becoz he was out form completely in 2020 to 21. Talking about spin whole indian team has been struggling against spin but virat is a big name so everyone talking about his game towards spin now a days which is very good becoz he will back himself to deliver when everyone give up.

[@akshaymate954]

@@yogamberaagri3979 I didn't include his 2020 stats, I included his stats SINCE 2020. Your paragraph was bigger than mine btw. Kohli "will" perform? He has been crapping past 5 years in Tests is what I conveyed. Not 5 or 10 matches, 30 matches!!! My point wasn't sack Kohli, my point was : We want players not based on what they have accomplished but what they are today! The fact is Kohli's average is crappier than Jadeja and Axar. He WAS a great Test Batsman, but today there are players who can easily out perform him based on what they accomplished in First Class Cricket. What's cowardly about what I said? I stated FACTS not ifs, whens and buts with excuses that he will perform based on what he was prior 2020. Kohli is NOT the team and there are many talents in the wings waiting for an opportunity.

[@Cyro268]

@@yogamberaagri3979 typical tarkhi Kohli fan spotted. Yes others are also struggling against spin, but they are not Kohli. We have high expectations from great players. Prioritizing family is fine, then Kohli should just retire from Tests. He is not putting the effort to overcome this weakness and is barely playing any red ball cricket. When he struggled against Anderson, that version of Kohli practiced the hell out and performed superbly. Now, it is just sad. Everyone knows Kohli is weak against spin, 37 dismissals against right arm off-spin when it's supposed to be easier as a RHB.

[@NishantSharma-vf2wd]

I have noticed one particular thing that Virat's defence against spinners has certainly got worse but he has added slog sweep which he has successfully deployed repeatedly since IPL 2024 and after a long long time(after around 2014-2015), he has started to play cut and backfoot punch kind of shots against spinners quite well even in test cricket

[@user-cd3ys6yq9r]

Because he doesn't play in ranji.

[@prithviroy11]

he doesn't need to.

[@bnallappa]

All the below reason have merits. But Kohli is not the one who uses his feet to get to the pitch of the ball and neither does Kohli play the sweep nor play a classic forward defensive stroke (see below - Ashwin). The two techniques that Virat had deployed as YashPatankar221 ji has mentioned is play off spin on the backfoot or the way he is getting dismissed nowadays is to play a flick on the front foot that is against the line! And here is where may be his age and reflexes are catching up. Pujara (I know people are going to say oh my God!) was the classical player of spin by dancing down the wicket to the pitch of the ball. In this test in Chennai, Gill used his feet to get to the pitch of the ball and the results are everyone to see. In Australia where we drew the match with Ashwin and Vihari, Ashwin being a tall man (that helps) stretched and played forward defensive stroke (this is again a art that is fast disappearing). English and Australians have always employed the sweep to a great extent.

[@HarshrajSinghBEE]

Yupp not using his feet is one of the main reasons of his dwindling numbers against spin, because when he was at his peak he used step out and flick the ball so easily but now he just doesnt uses feet anymore and that has reduced his coventional scoring options.

[@EmblematicChalk100]

Most Indian cricket analysts so so far up Kohli's ass that it's impossible to get objective analysis from them. It's becomes very apparent when you listen to them side by side with someone like Mark Waugh or Ponting. Like that time the last series Mark Waugh broke down Kohli's catching technique. Do you think these people could have done that? They could have but they were too busy waxing eloquent about Kohli's fitness, work ethics yada yada yada.

[@Actually-y7j]

Yes, agree, they all paid up members on the BCCI commission list so have to follow the party line

[@AyushLunia13]

Plat spin like lara and sehwag❤

[@sandeepbandi8239]

Lack of confidence and practice too to play on turning pitches now a days is the main reason. He just lost completely playing spin and so the average is dipping. He is at the end of his career.

[@theLimitlessyogi]

Look at Kohli's average after England tour of 2018. He changed his stance and his footwork now do not allow him to play spin well. Look at Rohit, he didn't make any changes and he is reaping benefits now

[@rahulbosebose1]

When was Kohli a great player of spin? Has always had an issue, it is just about mental discipline to pick your shots.

[@amitkumartiwari9905]

Spin,middle order and X factor players are major issues to solve so far....😒😒😒😑

[@MsRkshukla]

My predictions Nathan Lyon will be highest wicket taker for Australia in BGT.

[@balunarayan4646]

Amazing chemistry between the two..really world class these two (Harsha & Dinesh). The timbre in the voices, the sheer mastery over the subject, unlike the English or Australian duos who are clearly over the hill, having played their cricket, long, long, ago

[@pavanramtej]

So true

[@siddbawa]

One telling fact for me was that he didn't even notice him knicking the ball on the lbw decision. His lack of awareness tells me is not really switched on like the Virat of old and seems to have lost that drive he has always had! Most people below are sharing very similar views. I also suspect after giving up the captaincy, he has lost that fire and passion that drove him for something that was the bigger picture for the country! Someone really needs to have a real hard talk with him and tell him he is letting not only himself down, but the country as a whole! The Aura is slowly diminishing and it will be sad if he actually doesn't go on to break test records as he really should be!

[@chellar4790]

Rohit and VK, legends, greats etc etc are in same boat, when it comes to throwing wicket and spending time in pavilion, of late in test matches of late. Can't expect them to train hard / upgrade skills at this age & stage. Their crease time, no of balls faced, early loose shots in last few tests, tells story. To have them as fielders, seniors ... is not fair at all. Sachin, Dravid, Saurav & others too struggled in last phase !!!! Rohit, VK have delivered enough already and one score one 30+ now & then, by hard core professionals, is clear sign of aging. Cheers.

[@ganesankrishnaraj1948]

Don t compare rohit with kohli when playing spin..it is an insult to rohit.

[@KrishnaRaj-ng3kb]

Why are you tallying rohit here... This test and sa series apart from that he has been the most consistent batter from the past 5 years. And in terms of spin playing ability they are miles apart. Just on the basis of how they play

[@Ashutosh-lw3cn]

Why is all these problems not present beforehand. The same Virat Kohli was playing international cricket in 2016-2019 and even then the majority of time he was facing fast bowling. Yet he dominated the hone seasons between 2016-2019. The point is simple, it's because of lack of practice and most importantly Un-Cricketing reasons 😑✌🏻 he's constantly failing to counter his issue against spin bowling. One such reason as rightly pointed out by Sushant Mehta of "Sports Yaari" that is constantly travelling from London to India, London to xyz places is one of the reasons why Virat is facing this problem.

[@bored-x5s]

Love how common people give advice to someone who is VK. Common people should start their coaching class, lets see how many international player join them to get better OR should we say school cricket player😂😂

[@yennapallyvamshireddy3590]

Nowadays only Rohit and Jadeja playing well. See stats from last 3 years. If not for jadeja india would had lost many matches.

[@murugra]

No back foot play he has these days

[@kartikg1292]

Kohli did a mistake of not playing the England series…He could have played few Games…He volunteered not to play…He did the same with Duleep Trophy….Now looks completely out of touch! BCCI asked Ishaan Kishan to play domestic cricket after long break before national selection, why Kohli was not asked to play domestic.

[@Actually-y7j]

Rubbish! BS! Codswallop!! He can't even play t20 and has across all formats averaged a pathetic 17 in recent times. RCB RCB RCB, WTH!!? The only sessions he performed in England were intense shopping training therapy with the wifey in London. Not only flawed against spin, he also struggles with pace on and around off stump as Anderson has often exposed. He's better off retiring soon on a high/low and giving younger more talented hungry players like Safraz, Jurel a chance

[@yogamberaagri3979]

😂😂😂 i can just laugh on you and the character you are, but bro see you soon when he will hit runs. Just wait.. i think you don't have family that's why you are talking like this. Bro talk on game not on his family

[@prithviroy11]

Players aren't supposed to train 24/7, you clown. I'm pretty sure you live in a small town in India. No one uses words like "codswallop" in England anymore. Stop watching period dramas or movies and thinking that you're all of a sudden British. And Virat still has a higher average than most Indian batsmen, including Rohit Sharma who got out in the same manner twice in the same test. Who is going to point his weakness against the moving ball? People like you are really sad and bitter. Go out, touch grass.

[@chayan5471]

Bro you are talking like as if every batter other than him is 100% perfect 😂 Tell me one batter who doesn't have weakness in outside off swinging balls?

[@prasadkrishna54]

Virat and other batsmen should have a session with Virender Sehwag on playing spin. Sehwag never thought spinners as bowlers. He used to murder them.

[@ganesankrishnaraj1948]

Is Mr Kohli really in test match mode mentally?

[@umajain2854]

❤

[@324jainvedanta2]

❤😊❤

[@aash987]

Selfish Kohli is a waste for the last 5 years and should be removed from all formats.

[@vansh7533]

Man of the series of 2023 wc 😂😂😂

[@324jainvedanta2]

❤😅

[@baskarv90]

None of this For VK the problem is hunger Against a team like Bangladesh there cant be hunger for him See in BGT the real VK will come out

[@ganesankrishnaraj1948]

Then drop virat for bang and nz test and get him back in aus

[@prithviroy11]

Rohit Sharma got out the same way in both innings, but why are we talking about Kohli?? He wasn't even out.

[@Cyro268]

Blind fan. Rohit got out to a very good ball in the first innings, anyone would've been out in their prime to the late movement. Kohli on the other hand STRUGGLES against spin time and time again. It is not just this match. Wasn't out? barely. The ball did not deviate, it was a faint edge that even he didn't know. Old Kohli would've asked for DRS, now he's happy to go back to the pavillion.

[@chayan5471]

There is a huge difference between getting out in good balls vs getting out in a nothing ball

[@Rohit24Kumar]

Because Rohit's average is getting better

[@prithviroy11]

@@Rohit24Kumar what? Despite that he is still quite far off from Kohli's dwindling average. What does that tell you? Rohit is protected by the media, always has been. We all saw how poor he was in SA. He shouldn't even have been picked for this T20 wc because his previous 4-5 world cups in that format were very poor. He scored 100 runs in 100 balls in the 2022 t20 wc. I don't think Kohli would have survived that even if he was the captain. But his PR team makes sure there is no noise about Rohit's failures. I think even his own statements are proof that he is jealous of Kohli.

[@Rohit24Kumar]

@@prithviroy11 because Rohit had something as captain before becoming Indian team captain and atleast Rohit don't fail in home conditions and he has got some runs in england test series was the highest run scorer of the series. He is a higher rank batsman than virat. Virat is most protected. Rohit lost captaincy even after winning 5 ipl but rcb stuck with virat. Virat won nothing as captain. It was Rohit who supported virat in his tough days. Virat is out of touch since covid and still in the team because of senior quota