Former India and RCB cricketer Dinesh Karthik has advised Virat Kohli to go back to domestic cricket to find solutions of his dry run of form. Kohli has been struggling recently against the turning ball and has been found wanting on several occasions.
The star India batter has accumulated just 88 runs in the two Tests against New Zealand so far in which he scored 70 in one innings. In the Test series against Bangladesh, Kohli scored 99 runs in 2 Tests at an average of 33.
India needed Kohli to score runs desprately against New Zealand when they were in troube but his lean patch has not been helpful. As a result, the Men in Blue are now trailing 0-2 in the three match-series with one more match to go.
Dinesh Karthik advises Virat Kohli to go back to domestic cricket
While speaking on Cricbuzz, Karthik accepted Virat Kohli’s recent struggled against spin bowling and claimed that he has not scored a big one in the red-ball format for a long time now.
“We all know what he is capable, this series was not meant to be. Like the fans have been saying, he has not done it for a long time and that we cannot run away from,” Karthik said.
“We don’t want to sugarcoat it because we want to be as objective in assessing any player, any performance, at the moment Virat Kohli’s Test record in the last 2-3 years, has not been great against spin,” he added.
Karthik also has a solution for him. The former India wicketkeeper advised Kohli to go back to domestic cricket and focus how he needs to get out of this hole. He stated that the left-arm spinners pose a big threat to the legendary right-handed batter.
“What we needs to do, is probably go back to domestic cricket and focus on what needs to be done with the current rules of DRS. There is no doubt the left-arm spinners pose a big threat,” he reckoned.
“He (Virat Kohli) is a man, who is searching for answers” – Dinesh Karthik
The former RCB wicketkeeper also mentioned that Virat Kohli’s ways of getting out have been pretty similar which are a cause of concern. However, he is hopeful of him returning back to form. Karthik views this as another challenge for Kohli and claimed that he will have to find a way out.
“Virat Kohli has not had it easy, the series has not been good to him, three out of four innings, he has disappointed. It’s obviously a recurring partner where spinners have troubled him, and I think he will go and figure out what he needs to do to come out stronger,” Karthik mentioned while speaking on the show.
“He is a man who is searching for answers. When you reach that level of genius and super stardom, you will be thrown challenges and here is another challenge. India likes to play on pitches that aids spin, what is his gameplan?” he argued.
Kohli was dismissed by the left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner in both the innings of the Pune Test. It was the first time when he was dismissed by a left-arm spinner twice in a Test match.
Virat Kohli’s dry run in Tests
Virat Kohli has not scored a Test century in July 2023. His last Test hundred came against West Indies in Port of Spain. Since then, he has registered a fifty-plus score on just two occasions in six Tests.
India will hope its talismanic batter to return to form quickly as he will be one of the key players for the team in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Kohli will be challenged in the five-match Test series in Australia but he has a good record on Australian soil.
