Virat Kohli's Battle with Leg Spin:
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 saw the Rohit Sharma-led Indian team kickstart their journey with a robust win against Bangladesh. Now, Team India is set to face its arch-nemesis Pakistan in their second group match on February 23rd (Sunday), at the esteemed Dubai International Cricket Stadium, starting at 2:30 PM IST.
Hopes Pinned on Kohli's Performance, Yet...
Virat Kohli, India's cricketing icon, is expected to dazzle in this colossal clash against Pakistan, despite his recent struggles. In the match against Bangladesh, Kohli was dismissed after scoring only 22 runs. The star batsman attempted a cut shot off leg-spinner Rishad Hussain, resulting in a catch by Soumya Sarkar in the point region.
Source: aajtak
Since 2024, Kohli has seemingly grappled against leg-spinners in One-Day Internationals. Facing them in five innings, he was dismissed by leg-spin deliveries each time. In these instances, Kohli managed 51 balls scoring just 31 runs, with an average of 6.20 and a striking rate of 60.78.
England's leg-spinner, Adil Rashid, twice outsmarted Kohli during this period. Meanwhile, bowlers like Jeffrey Vandersay (Sri Lanka), Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka), and Rishad Hussain (Bangladesh) also claimed his wicket once each. Out of his last six ODI innings, Kohli succumbed to leg-spin bowling five times. Additionally, he fell to the cunning orthodox spins of left-armer Dunith Wellalage once. These dismissals highlight Kohli's pronounced struggle against wrist-spinners.
Harbhajan on Kohli's 'Weakness'
Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh, in conversation with Aaj Tak, expressed concerns over Kohli's pattern of dismissals against leg-spinners, stating, "The slower bowlers (leg spinners) have unsettled him to some degree. He must devise a strategy to negotiate with leg-spin. Discovering methods to convert dot balls into singles might be key. I believe poor form induces such patterns. Kohli's present phase reflects how, in cricket, regardless of repute, one's current form and intent define their journey forward."
Kohli needs to exercise caution against spin bowlers in the upcoming fixture against Pakistan, especially against specialist leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed. Abrar, 26, has scalped 46 wickets in 10 Test matches, 14 wickets in 8 ODIs, and 9 wickets in 7 T20I matches for Pakistan. Despite Pakistan's spin options, including Salman Ali Agha (off-spinner) and Khushdil Shah (left-arm orthodox), perhaps only Abrar poses a significant challenge to Kohli.
Source: aajtak
Virat Kohli vs. Leg Spinners since 2024 (ODI)
Innings: 5 Balls: 51 Runs: 31 Dismissals: 5 times Average: 6.20 Strike Rate: 60.78
Historically, Kohli has thrived against Pakistan, amassing 678 runs at an average of 52.15 from 16 ODI matches against this neighboring cricketing powerhouse. These performances include three centuries and two half-centuries, with his top ODI score of 183 coming at the 2012 Asia Cup against Pakistan. Kohli has also excelled in T20 against them, registering 492 runs over 11 matches at an average of 70.28, supported by five half-centuries. With such a backdrop, it will be intriguing to watch his strategy this round.
India Squad:
Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill (Vice-Captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (Wicketkeeper), Rishabh Pant (Wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Washington Sundar. Non-traveling substitutes: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj, Shivam Dube
Pakistan Squad:
Mohammad Rizwan (Captain), Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Remaining Champions Trophy Matches:
February 22 - Australia vs England, Lahore February 23 - Pakistan vs India, Dubai February 24 - Bangladesh vs New Zealand, Rawalpindi February 25 - Australia vs South Africa, Rawalpindi February 26 - Afghanistan vs England, Lahore February 27 - Pakistan vs Bangladesh, Rawalpindi February 28 - Afghanistan vs Australia, Lahore March 1 - South Africa vs England, Karachi March 2 - New Zealand vs India, Dubai March 4 - Semifinal-1, Dubai March 5 - Semifinal-2, Lahore March 9 - Final, Lahore (relocated to Dubai if India reaches the final) March 10 - Reserve Day
