Virat Kohli only scored 45 runs in 2 Tests against Bangladesh©AFP
The Indian cricket team emerged victorious 2-0 from the test series against Bangladesh, but the scoreline does not reflect the way the series went. In the second Test, the team had to rely on runs from Ravichandran Ashwin to secure victory as the top batsmen including substitute skipper KL Rahul and Virat Kohli continued to struggle. Kohli’s performance was such that even his youth coach Rajkumar Sharma did not shy away from criticizing him. He even said that Virat’s coming out is “not acceptable.”
In a chat on India News Sports, Rajkumar Sharma said it is a “shame” to see a batter from Virat Kohli’s class compete against Bangladesh spinners.
“A batsman is quite disappointed after coming out, and Virat Kohli is very aggressive by nature,” he told India News Sports. “But the way he has come out is unacceptable. It is a pity to see a batsman of his stature compete against Bangladeshi spinners. He should have shown more intention.
Rajkumar has also suggested to Kohli to hit with a free mentality, intending to upset the spinners.
“With both the mid-on and mid-off fielders inside the circle, he could have played a little more freely. Unless you upset a spinner, he won’t let you play. You have to do something innovative, like play a slog.” ‘sweep’ or ‘sweep’ from the outside,” he further explained.
India’s top four hitters, including Rahul and star hitter Virat Kohli, have been battling spin for some time. Team India is still in contention for the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) and they will need to beat Australia next year in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India will undoubtedly be favourites, having lost just two Tests at home in the last decade. But their batting doesn’t exude the same confidence as it used to.
With PTI inputs
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