Ravi Shastri gives strong advice to Virat Kohli to deal with the challenge of off-spin
Ravi Shastri has suggested to the struggling Virat Kohli that he should find a solution to his troubles against off-spin. Kohli has been dismissed 39 times to off-spin in Test cricket, making it one of his weaknesses. This pattern of dismissals of Kohli has been hampering his career, especially in recent years. Shastri advised Kohli to adopt an aggressive approach to control the spinners, use his feet more and not be afraid to play the sweep shot or over the top. He stressed that Kohli should actively try to break out of this pattern of his dismissals.
INDC Network : Sports : Ravi Shastri has an important message for the struggling Virat Kohli in the context of his recent performance against off-spin. Shastri believes that Virat Kohli, who has been dismissed against off-spinners many times, should make some more changes in his batting so that he can deal with this challenge.
Virat Kohli and the struggle of off-spin
Virat Kohli's weaknesses against off-spinners are nothing new. Whether it is the ball outside the off-stump or losing the wicket to spinners' balls, this problem has been emerging again and again in his career. Recently, when he returned to Test cricket after seven months, off-spin troubled him once again. In the first innings, he got out while trying to play the off-spinner's ball, while in the second innings he got LBW on a full-length ball. The special thing was that he did not use DRS, even though there were indications of the ball hitting the bat.
Kohli has been dismissed by off-spinners 39 times in Test cricket so far. This includes the names of renowned spinners like Nathan Lyon, Moeen Ali and Graeme Swann, who have achieved great success against Kohli. Regarding these weaknesses of Kohli, Shastri suggested that he will have to find a way out and find solutions to overcome this problem.
Shastri's view and advice
Shastri believes that Kohli, who is one of the best batsmen of his generation, needs a change in his mind more than technical improvement. "Virat Kohli has got out many times to spinners in the last 2-3 years, but he has also scored a lot of runs at the same time. When he was at the top of his game, he handled the spinners quite well," he said during commentary.
Shastri suggested that Kohli should use his feet and reach the pitch of the ball. He also said that Kohli should not be afraid to use the sweep shot and try some new methods to put the spinners under pressure. Shastri says that Kohli should take an aggressive approach against the spinners instead of letting them dominate.
Kohli's pattern of getting out
Shastri also discussed Kohli's pattern of getting out. He said that Kohli should consider why he is getting out in the same way again and again. Sometimes it happens that the ball stays low or unfortunately the umpire's decision goes against him, but the truth is that off-spin has troubled him many times. Shastri stressed that Kohli should find a way to deal with this challenge and see what works for him and focus on that.
Shastri also said that the condition of pitches in India
has also been challenging for the batsmen. Many pitches are not easy, due to which the batsmen need to pay more attention. He gave the example of a strange dismissal of Shubman Gill, in which he was caught out on leg wide.
Shastri believes that such situations are faced by all batsmen, but the difference lies in how the batsman deals with these challenges. He urged Kohli to analyse his weaknesses and work on them.
Conclusion : Virat Kohli, who is one of the biggest names in Indian cricket, should take Ravi Shastri's advice seriously to improve his game. Shastri believes that Kohli should work on his weaknesses against off-spin and for this he needs to add some new dimensions to his game.
What's Your Reaction?