In the current ODI series against Sri Lanka, star Indian batsman Virat Kohli is up against some surprising spin bowling. Recent T20I retirement by Kohli meant that he was back with the Indian side for the ODI series against the island nation, where he was reunited with head coach Gautam Gambhir.
His results on spin-friendly courses, however, have been below average in the first two matches, with scores of 24 and 14. Basit Ali, a former cricket player for Pakistan, expressed shock at the 35-year-old’s difficulties.
“The best batsman in the world, Virat Kohli, has been out LBW twice.
He is a wonderful batsman. If it were to happen to Iyer or Dube, it would make sense, but Virat Kohli is Virat Kohli. On his YouTube channel, Basit stated, “This indicates that he is not in practice.”
“It didn’t appear like this was the world’s most dominant batting order: Basit Ali
In both games, Wanindu Hasaranga and Jeffrey Vandersay dismissed Kohli leg before wicket. There have been concerns over the batter’s form and readiness for spin bowling after these dismissals. Concerns regarding other important members of the Indian team were also raised by Ali.
“This didn’t seem to be the world’s most dominant batting order. Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, in my opinion, haven’t even practiced. “These individuals have not had any experience,” he continued.
The former cricket player for Pakistan also wasn’t shy about criticising Shreyas Iyer, speculating that it might be time to alter the starting lineup.
“I’m not sure what Shreyas Iyer intends to do with these kinds of performances. For Rishabh Pant, Riyan Parag, and Rinku Singh, I believe the time has come. For Gautam Gambhir, the 50-over domestic tournament in India will be crucial since he would need to select some players from there. India won’t have the best success in the Champions Trophy if they select players just on the basis of reputation,” he said.
The Men in Blue have one more chance to even the series after falling behind 0-1 so far. On Wednesday, August 7, both teams will play each other at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium.
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