"Virat Kohli must be disappointed by his dismissals in this series" - Wasim Jaffer
Former India batter Wasim Jaffer believes that Virat Kohli will not be satisfied by the manner of his dismissals in the ongoing ODI series against New Zealand. The ace batter lost his wicket to Mitchell Santner across both matches, highlighting his ongoing woes against spin bowling.
Kohli was undone by a delivery that held its line in the series opener in Hyderabad. The inability to judge the length early and adjust the footwork accordingly has been a prominent issue for the former skipper of late.
In the ensuing second ODI, he uncharacteristically stepped off the track and was beaten by flight and turn, and stumped by Tom Latham.
A great result. Indore next. ✌️🇮🇳 https://t.co/ynDN9iQdit
Commenting on the player's shaky display against spin bowling, Jaffer said on ESPNcricinfo:
"Virat Kohli must be disappointed by his dismissals in this series. He has been struggling to play leg-spin for quite a while now whether it be Adil Rashid or Adam Zampa, and now he has gone out to left-arm spin of Mitchell Santner two matches in a row."
Prior to the home season, where he has been piling on runs, he heavily struggled against Bangladesh in December 2022. Kohli was dismissed by Taijul Islam and Shakib Al Hasan during the series across ODIs and Tests.
"I expect Kohli to make a good comeback in the third ODI" - Wasim Jaffer
Kohli has scored 19 runs across the two matches in this series so far. He entered the New Zealand ODIs in blistering form after slamming two centuries in the three-match affair against Sri Lanka.
Kohli was so much at ease against left arm spin before. https://t.co/taDelVrI0N
Noting that it is imperative that Kohli finds his groove in the upcoming ODI considering that their next assignment is the crucial Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, Jaffer said:
"I expect Kohli to make a good comeback in the third ODI keeping the big picture in mind. Australia are touring soon and they have a solid bowling unit with Nathan Lyon also there. So, the expectation is always there from him to score runs and do well."
India will lock horns with New Zealand in the final ODI of the series on Tuesday, January 24, in Indore. It is to be noted that should the hosts win the dead rubber, they are slated to be crowned the No.1-ranked ODI team in the world.
Will Virat Kohli be among the runs in the third ODI against the Blackcaps? Let us know what you think.
Also Read: "There is a good chance that Team India can end up as the No.1-ranked team across all formats" - Wasim Jaffer