Virat Kohli Must be Disappointed by His Dismissals in New Zealand ODIs: Former India Opener

Former opener Wasim Jaffer feels that Virat Kohli needs to bounce back in the third ODI against New Zealand and overcome the spin challenge keeping the upcoming Australia Test series in mind. Kohli who started 2023 on a high with two ODI centuries against Sri Lanka, struggled to score big versus New Zealand in the first two ODIs. The batting maverick was dismissed by Mitchell Santner on both occasions, he was castled for 8 in the series opener while Tom Latham stumped him for 11.

Jaffer pointed out that Kohli has struggled against the leg-spin in the past and now left-arm spin is becoming his new nemesis.

Also Read: Time for Women Cricketers from J&K to Knock the IPL Door: JKCA’s Brigadier Anil Gupta

“Virat Kohli must be disappointed by his dismissals in this series. He has been struggling to play leg-spin for quite a while now whether it be Adil Rashid or Adam Zampa, and now he has gone out to left-arm spin of Mitchell Santner two matches in a row,” Jaffer told ESPNcricinfo.

The batting maverick jumped to the fourth spot in ICC batsman rankings after two centuries against Sri Lanka but he has to regain his form in Indore ODI versus New Zealand to retain his place.

Jaffer said that the expectations are always high from Kohli but he has to score some big runs to enter the Australia Tests with some added confidence.

“I expect Kohli to make a good comeback in the third ODI keeping the big picture in mind. Australia are touring soon and they have a solid bowling unit with Nathan Lyon also there. So, the expectation is always there from him to score runs and do well,” Jaffer added.

Exclusive | ‘Sarfaraz Has Done Enough to Warrant a Place in Indian Team’

The former opener further lauded Mohammed Shami for his sensational spell in Raipur where he claimed three wickets and was also named Player of the Match.

“I thought he bowled really well, complimented by Siraj and even Hardik Pandya. So I thought India bowled really well. Even though it seemed like Rohit Sharma was in two minds about bowling first, and took a lot of time, even Tom Latham said that he would have bowled first,” said Jaffer.

Get the latest Cricket News, Schedule and Cricket Live Scores here