WTC Final: 3 ways to get Virat Kohli out
Virat Kohli will be one of the first names New Zealand will want to get rid of when they square off against the Indian side in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Southampton in June as per WTC final schedule.
Kohli has enjoyed a good run against Kane Williamson's side in Tests with 773 runs from nine matches at an average of 51.53. He's stacked three fifties, two tons, and a double century against the Kiwis.
That said, coach Gary Stead and his men will have to look at Kohli's weaknesses and be keen to put their plans in motion when he walks out to bat being in India squad for WTC final.
This article takes a look at the three ways the Indian skipper can be dismissed pretty early on in the innings.
#1 Virat Kohli's perennial "outside the off stump" woes
Kohli has been vulnerable to deliveries that angle away from the off stump and has been guilty of edging it to the keeper or getting caught at slip. And while he is one of those batsmen who's quick to rectify his mistakes, the NZ pacers will have to bide their time and frustrate the skipper by taking the ball away from him and hope he attempts to drive one and get a nick.
#2 Make it more of Tim Southee vs Virat Kohli
There's every reason why NZ legend Richard Hadlee said Southee was Kohli's weakness. Here's what the former cricketer told Sportstar when asked about the Indian skipper's weakness:
Get latest World Test Championship final live score by clicking here.
"Southee is Kohli’s weakness, he’s got him out many times with swing. Against Southee, he is planting his front foot forward, not fully so, and if the ball does something, he’s in trouble. If the ball moves away, he gets caught behind, if it nips back he is leg-before."
Statistically, Southee and Trent Boult have dismissed Virat Kohli thrice. Southee's castled him twice proving Hadlee's thoughts of the batsman being vulnerable to the ball that nips in.
#3 Seamers who can crank up the pace
Perhaps the best way to catch Virat Kohli off guard is to crank up that pace. Previously, Mohammad Amir, Mitchell Johnson, James Anderson and Josh Hazlewood have all deceived the skipper with sheer pace, forcing him to mistime the shot he attempts.
This has led to Kohli succumbing to pace and while that may not be a technical flaw, it's something NZ squad for WTC final will hope to exploit. With the likes of Kyle Jamieson and Boult in their ranks, getting the pace and the swing wouldn't be much of an issue.