NEW DELHI: Virat KohliThe struggles against spin continued to deepen as the India star struggled to negotiate with India’s spin trio during a practice session in the Kanpur nets ahead of the second Test against Bangladesh, which is due to start on Friday.
In the second innings of the first Test in Chennai, he was trapped by an off-spinner Mehidi Hassan Miraz for 17. This dismissal marked a recurring pattern for Kohli as it was the 18th occasion since 2021 when he fell victim to spin bowlers.
Kohli faced challenges during Wednesday’s training session in Kanpur. While trying to play inside-out shots against Ravindra Jadejahe missed the ball three times in a row, visibly frustrated with his performance, The Indian Express reported.
The most striking moment, however, occurred when Ahar Patel managed to clean bowl the master batsman through the wicket.
Kohli has suffered a remarkable drop in his Test rankings, losing five places and dropping out of the top 10. He is now ranked 12th in the rankings.
Kohli’s below-par start to the crucial 10-Test series in India over the next four months has reignited the debate over whether the batting legend is past his prime, with former Australian spinner Brad Hogg sticking his neck out to say Kohli can’t broke Sachin Tendulkar’s record.
In a YouTube video, Hogg compared Tendulkar’s Test run tally with Kohli and star England batsman Joe Root, saying only Root has a fair chance of breaking the world record of 15,921 runs that Tendulkar scored in his 200-Test career . Kohli, he felt, had lost momentum.
The 33-year-old Root, with 12,402 runs so far in 146 Tests, is 3,519 runs behind Tendulkar. Kohli, who will turn 36 in November, has 8,871 runs in 114 Tests.
“I just don’t think Virat will get there,” Hogg said. “I think he’s lost his momentum, and the momentum he’s lost has been for a couple of years. He has to turn it around in the next 10 Test matches or he will be out.”
