5 left-arm spinners who have troubled Virat Kohli the most
Virat Kohli is unquestionably one of the greatest batters in modern-day cricket, but even the best of the best have a certain chink in their armor. The Delhi-born batter's woes against the seamers to the fourth-stump line, stemming from his duel with James Anderson, have been well-documented in the past.
However, taking a much more recent time frame into consideration. Kohli's biggest concern has been his displays against spin bowling. His natural aggression, playing the cut shot, and asserting dominance, all of those traits have slowly waned. His regular dismissals against the likes of Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali, and even Shreyas Gopal in the IPL all point in the direction of woes against spin-bowling.
Kohli has a particular aversion while facing left-arm spinners. The wide angle, coupled with the fact that the ball might turn away or come in with the arm, makes it a complicated task, especially when you are not in form.
Despite regaining his form, he still faces trouble judging the spinner's length, and the extra time to deliberate on whether to play off the front foot or back foot is costing him a lot, particularly when he makes the wrong choice.
On that note, let’s take a look at five such left-arm spinners who have troubled Kohli the most.
#1 Mitchell Santner
The former Indian skipper was dismissed twice in a row by New Zealand spinner Mitchell Santner in the ongoing ODI series. What is interesting to note is the stark difference in the manner in which he lost his wicket.
In the first ODI, he was undone by a quicker delivery that held its line. Kohli remained on the back foot, playing down the wrong line, only for the ball to hit the top of the off stump.
Santner cleans up Virat Kohli, spin troubling him consistently 👀
In the subsequent contest, he was deceived by flight and turn. He drew himself forward, missed the ball completely, and was caught outside the crease with an effective stumping.
Santner has now dismissed the former skipper thrice in ODI cricket, ranking himself quite high among the bowlers who have managed to stir the formidable hornet's nest. He has also claimed his wicket once in T20Is as well.
#2 Taijul Islam
Bangladesh's potent left-arm spinner Taijul Islam was all over Kohli during India's tour to the neighboring country in December 2022.
Blessed with a highly repeatable action and a knack for accuracy, Taijul consistently probed Kohli with a testing line and length.
Virat Kohli got stunned by Taijul Islam 🤯
#CricketTwitter #banvsind https://t.co/K3gmFlpp92
Kohli was dismissed for one with a delivery that once again forced him to play on the leg side, beating his bat by a far margin and trapping him plumb in front of the stumps.
While he has arguably been a victim of poor luck and excellent deliveries at times, his general work against spin bowling has not worked, which is surprising, especially since he cracked the code very early into his career.
Taijul has dismissed him twice in Test cricket, with both wickets coming in the form of lbw.
#3 Shakib Al Hasan
Another Bangladeshi left-arm spinner who has troubled Kohli is Shakib Al Hasan. The all-rounder has dismissed the ace batter a total of five times in ODI cricket, the highest by any spinner so far along with Adam Zampa.
Shakib managed to get the better of the right-handed batter twice in the three-match ODI series in December 2022. His quick arm action, coupled with the ability to vary his pace, often found Kohli struggling to find his tempo.
It is also to be noted that the left-arm spinner has managed to claim the prized wicket once in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and once in Test cricket as well.
#4 Keshav Maharaj
South Africa's premium spinner got the better of Kohli with a delivery that spun heavily during the third ODI between India and South Africa in early 2022.
The star batter was caught in an awkward position after already shuffling to his back foot and opening his body for an expansive leg-side shot.
The ball caught the leading edge and left Kohli dumb-founded at the crease.
Apart from that instance, Keshav Maharaj has dismissed the former Indian skipper one more time in ODIs, with it also being in the form of a caught dismissal.
#5 Ravindra Jadeja
While Kohli has not faced the star all-rounder in international cricket, their matchup is highly anticipated in the IPL, especially since the former is a busy bee during the middle overs rotating the strike, while Ravindra Jadeja likes to keep things tight.
Jadeja famously bowled Kohli in the 2018 edition and has overall claimed his wicket thrice.
He has scored 133 runs against the left-arm spinner at a strike rate of 108.13. Jadeja's pinpoint accuracy with his line, coupled with the subcontinent surfaces on which IPL contests are played, has stacked the odds against the right-handed batter.
How should the batter go about addressing his woes to combat left-arm spinners in the future? Let us know what you think.
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