Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma vs spin in Tests - who is struggling more, and why?
There is no denying that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have taken modern-day batting to incredible heights with their consistency, flair, elegance, and remarkable hunger for runs. Yet, as the duo fell cheaply for scores of one and 0 during India's incomprehensible collapse in the first innings of the ongoing second Test against New Zealand, the alarm bells rang louder than ever on where their Test careers were heading.
With over 13,000 Test runs and 41 centuries between them, there is little left for the pair to prove. However, Kohli's umpteenth dismissal to spin on Asian conditions in the last three years and Rohit's iffy recent form against the spinners had fans wondering about the duo's recent and overall record against spin.
The former's dismissal against Mitchell Santner today was his 21st in 26 innings in Asia since 2021, with his average reading a dismal 28.85 against them.
In saying that, Kohli and Rohit have also produced several stellar knocks for India in Tests, including toying with opposition spinners when at their best.
On that note, let us end the suspense around the duo's overall and recent performances against spinners in Tests and find out if their struggles are more a false narrative or bear some truth behind them.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's overall numbers against spin in Tests
For starters, let us analyze Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's numbers vs the different types of spinners - off-spin, leg-spin, left-arm orthodox, and left-arm chinaman in their overall Test careers.
The table below summarizes the current Indian skipper's splits in Tests against spin:
An overall Test average of 46.30 against spin is nothing to sneeze about even if it may be slightly lower compared to the great Indian batters of different eras. While Rohit has had little to no trouble against right-arm spinners - off or leg, the left-armers have troubled the champion batter.
The 37-year-old has never been dismissed by leg-spin in Tests and averages over 51 against off-spinners. Yet, left-arm orthodox spinners have enjoyed the stranglehold on Rohit with the batter averaging only 36.40 against them, while being dismissed 20 times.
Though he has been dismissed off-spin 20 times, the runs have also flown against them (1,028) as evidenced by the table above.
Moving to Kohli, here is a breakdown of his exploits against spin in Tests:
The 35-year-old boasts outstanding numbers against almost every spin-bowling style in Tests. The fact that his 41 dismissals at an average of 46.90 against off-spin ranks the worst among the different spin-bowling styles speaks to his domination of spinners.
Yet, for a batter of Kohli's caliber and stature, 41 is a high number, and averaging under 47 against the ball coming into him is less than impressive.
He averages an imperious 89.10 against leg-spin and an incredible 62.80 against left-arm orthodox - the kryptonite usually for right-handers.
An overall Test average of 56.10 against spinners with almost 4,000 runs despite the 69 dismissals indicates Kohli has more than held his own against spinners.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's recent numbers (since 2022) against spin in Tests
With such outstanding overall numbers against spin in Tests, why even the question of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's struggles against spinners? Unfortunately, recent history might answer that as the duo has endured a surprisingly poor phase against spinners over the last two to three years.
Here is a look at a similar breakdown of Rohit Sharma against spin in Tests since 2022:
It is crystal clear how much of a drop-off there is between Rohit Sharma's overall Test numbers against spin to the last three years.
The legendary batter has still been untroubled by the leggies but an average of 24.40 against off-spinners makes for sub-par reading. Rohit has also struggled against left-arm orthodox spinners with an average of under 32 while being dismissed nine times each by these two spin-bowling styles.
Meanwhile, Kohli's numbers against spin since 2022 aren't too dissimilar to Rohit's as evidenced by the below table:
Despite facing only off-spin and left-arm orthodox post-2022, Kohli averages a paltry 33.20 against them with 17 dismissals.
An average of 34.40 against off-spin and 31.90 against left-arm orthodox indicates an equally massive struggle for Kohli against both styles of spin-bowling over the past three years.
In addition, both Rohit and Kohli have also averaged in the lower 30s against spin in Test matches in Asia since 2022.
Why the unprecedented drop-off for the duo vs spin in Tests over the last few years?
As hard as it is to fathom Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's drastic drop-off against spin in the red-ball format over the recent past, a few obvious reasons offer some explanation.
Think of some of the best batters against spin - VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Brian Lara, Matthew Hayden, and Andy Flower, among others. What do they all have in common? Either they use their feet nimbly to put the spinners off their lengths or play the sweep shot to great effect to negate the turn.
Which of these two does Kohli pull off consistently? After a brief pause, the answer will be neither. While his footwork in the crease moving forward and back is admirable, the stylish batter neither consistently sweeps nor gets to the pitch off the ball with his dancing shoes, making him susceptible to turning wickets.
Driving against the spin to off-spinners and playing for the turn against left-arm spinners have led to Kohli's downfall several times over the last three years. This chink in the armor could have been eradicated had he developed a reliable sweep shot or been an expert hitter down the ground after getting to the pitch of a spinner's delivery.
The reasons are slightly harder to find for Rohit, considering his ability to occasionally play the sweep shot and charge down the wicket to avoid being beaten by the turn. Yet, the Indian captain has often been not guilty of being quick on his feet - charging the spinners or defending from the crease.
This has allowed the ball to sneak through between bat and pad and strike timber or trap him LBW. A lack of nimbleness has led to Rohit struggling against quick turn, leading to his dismal average of under 25 against off-spinners, renowned for just that, since 2022.
It is also highly possible that age and wear and tear are playing a role in the duo's ability to focus for long periods and move their feet as swiftly as they used to in their prime.