“He knows his batting very well” - Virat Kohli’s childhood coach defends batter over recent dismissals against spinners
Virat Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma has rejected suggestions that the former India captain has developed a weakness against spin bowling. Sharma asserted that Kohli understands his game and added that there was a sense of misfortune in his modes of dismissal against South Africa.
Kohli was dismissed by slow bowlers in all three matches of the ODI series in South Africa. He fell to Tabraiz Shamsi in the first match while Keshav Maharaj dismissed him in the next two games.
Discussing Kohli’s dismissals, Sharma said on the Khelneeti podcast:
“It is unfortunate the manner in which he is got out a couple of times (in South Africa). He also realizes the same. Against Maharaj in the last match, the ball stopped quite a bit. Before that, he attempted a sweep when the ball was not coming on to the bat. It is not like he is batting badly or he needs to improve something significantly. He knows his batting very well.”
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On reports that the former captain is planning to skip the white-ball series against West Indies next month, the 56-year-old replied:
“I don’t have any information about him planning to skip the West Indies series. I am sure he will play against the West Indies and not take a break.”
“Kohli getting out to spinners constantly was a coincidence” - Nikhil Chopra
Former India cricketer Nikhil Chopra backed Sharma’s views on Kohli’s dismissals to spinners in South Africa. Terming it a coincidence, Chopra, himself a former off-spinner, said:
“I feel Kohli getting out to spinners constantly was a coincidence. What was significant was his body language was good and the ball was hitting the middle. He was controlling the game. Yes, he was not able to convert starts into big scores and was not winning games. But he was getting out after being set. So there were lots of positives but the scope for improvement is always there.”
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Asked if Kohli needs a break to work on his game, Chopra replied it's a personal decision that the right-hander has to make. The 48-year-old stated:
“If he does decide to take a break, it will be his personal decision. And if he does, he will only come back refreshed because he has been playing non-stop cricket. During this period, he can look to develop his game. Every player, no matter how big, has scope for improvement.”
India will take on West Indies in three ODIs and as many T20Is from February 6 to 20.