Dinesh Karthik delivers a honest assessment of Virat Kohli following his slump against Australia

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Dinesh Karthik delivers a honest assessment of Virat Kohli

Former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik has weighed in on Virat Kohli’s recent batting struggles in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Karthik acknowledged that Kohli is facing difficulties with deliveries outside the off stump but emphasized that the star batter is determined to fight through this rough patch.

Kohli is currently enduring one of the toughest phases of his career, with the Australian bowlers persistently targeting the fourth and fifth stumps, keeping him under constant pressure.

Nearly all of Kohli’s dismissals in this series have followed a similar pattern, with the ball moving away to find the outside edge and result in a catch behind the wickets. The 36-year-old has struggled to settle at the crease, as the relentless Australian bowlers have consistently exploited his weakness.

During a discussion on Cricbuzz, Dinesh Karthik was asked about Virat Kohli’s mindset during his ongoing slump and where he’s going wrong. Karthik firmly stated that Kohli is a fighter who won’t just sit back and accept his form.

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He recalled the Gabba Test as an example, where Kohli headed straight to the nets after a cheap dismissal. Karthik believes this shows Kohli’s determination to quickly regain his rhythm and get back to playing long innings.

He (Virat Kohli) is a fighter. Even after he got out in Gabba, the one thing that he did is going to the nets and try and get the rhythm again. He wants to get himself into a certain zone for him to do well. That’s what he is looking to do,” Dinesh added.

“He is not going to give up. He is not one of those characters who is going to say, ‘Oh! It’s not coming’. He will fight it, he’ll do everything possible and that’s the kind of man he is,” he said.

Speaking about Kohli’s weakness outside the off stump, Dinesh Karthik shared insights into the batter’s thought process and discussed how he can find his rhythm again to become successful.

“He knows the one major area that the Australians have targeted him in this series is just around the fourth and fifth stump. How is he going to get access to that ball where he believes he can leave the ball if necessary and play a shot if it is required. That’s the only zone he wants to be entering into right now,” Karthik said.

Virat Kohli has been dismissed five times in the six innings he’s played so far, with all five dismissals coming via his outside edge. The bowlers have executed a specific plan that has proven highly effective against the 36-year-old batter.

Virat Kohli has accumulated 126 runs in five innings of the ongoing Test series, averaging 31.50. His brilliant century in the second innings of the Perth Test had sparked hopes that he had rediscovered his touch.

However, since then, Kohli’s bat has been quiet, and he has struggled to spend significant time at the crease. The challenging conditions and Australia’s top-class bowling attack have only added to his difficulties.

Kohli’s poor run with the bat has extended beyond this series, starting with India’s home Test season in September. He managed just 192 runs in five Tests against Bangladesh and New Zealand, averaging a mere 21.33. His struggles have continued in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy as well.