‘More Beneficial Than Just Practice’: Anil Kumble’s Big Claim After Virat Kohli’s Below Average Batting

Former India player Anil Kumble feels Virat Kohli should have played domestic cricket before the 10-match Test season. Virat Kohli has been going through a torrid form as he got out for just one run in the ongoing second Test against New Zealand in Pune. While facing the ninth delivery, Kohli was cleaned up by left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner. 

Talking to Sports18, Kumble said, "Perhaps just one or two innings in a match situation could have helped. Being in an actual game is definitely more beneficial than just practice; it gives an upper hand. If he feels that playing earlier would have benefited him, and the team management agrees, then maybe it would have. However, I don't think we can look at that as the only reason for his struggles against spin."

"When he's come to the crease, the pitches have often favored spin, which is a significant factor. His challenges against spin at the start of his innings haven't been solely due to mindset but also conditions that aided spinners. This contributed to the dismissals of Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli to the left-arm spin of Glenn Phillips, who was brought on as a strategic move. Even the best modern-day batters find these situations tricky," Kumble added.

In a total of 26 innings, while playing in Asia since 2021, Kohli has scored 606 runs at an average of 28.85 and a strike rate of 49.67. He got out against the spinner for 21 times which proves that he is struggling against spin bowling. 

India Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma(c), Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant(w), KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Akash Deep, Dhruv Jurel.

New Zealand Squad: Tom Latham(c), Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell(w), Glenn Phillips, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, William ORourke, Kane Williamson, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy.