Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh took centre stage and opined that Virat Kohli needs to come up with a plan to better play against leg spin.
Despite India’s excellent performance in their first Champions Trophy game against Bangladesh, the form of ace batter Virat Kohli has once again brought into question once again. It is worth noting that India got a target of 229 runs to chase down in Dubai against Bangladesh.
The Men in Blue got off to a good start to the run chase with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill attacking the bowlers straight away. However, after Rohit’s dismissal on 41 runs, the onus fell onto the shoulders of Virat Kohli. With many expecting a big knock from the 36-year-old, Kohli failed to stand on his expectations and departed for just 22 runs.
He was sent packing by Rishad Hossain, which was also his 23rd dismissal against a leg spinner in ODIs. Seeing his dismissal, former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh took centre stage and opined that his reputation would not save him if he continued to perform like this.
“It goes on to show that no matter how big you are, your reputation will not count. But what you do there, the intent that you show, will take you forward. I certainly believe that slower bowlers, leggies, have given him some sort of discomfort. He needs to come up with some plan against leggies. He needs to find a way to convert those dot balls into singles,” Harbhajan Singh told India Today.
“I think when the form is not there, this is exactly what happens-you tend to take a lot more time, you tend to take more time to settle into an innings. That’s exactly what is happening with Virat Kohli. Cricket is a great leveller. I think he is getting stuck because he is taking a bit more time. I believe he needs to back himself and play like Virat Kohli,” he added.
Kohli’s performances have been a cause of concern for the Indian team for some time now. The star batter failed to perform in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 down under and has gotten off to a poor start in the Champions Trophy 2025. The star batter will hope for a better showing when India take on Pakistan next in the competition.
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