Ravi Shastri's message to Virat Kohli on struggles vs spin: 'Don't be afraid to go over the top...'

Veteran India batter Virat Kohli has struggled against spinners recently in Test cricket, but former head coach Ravi Shastri has an advice for the Delhi cricketer. Kohli’s latest instance of struggling against spin came in the second innings of the ongoing first Test between India and Bangladesh in Chennai. Kohli was dismissed by right-arm offbreak bowler Mehidy Hasan Miraz for 17 in India’s second innings. That was the 18th time since 2021 that Kohli got out to spinners.

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Against Mehidy, Kohli missed out on playing a straight ball and was given out LBW as he looked to hit on the on-side. Replays, however, revealed that there was a spike on UltraEdge after the bat made contact with the ball. However, Kohli had chosen not to review the decision.

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Ravi Shastri’s advice to Kohli

Ravi Shastri suggested Kohli to make use of his feet to tackle his problems against spinners. “He has [gotten out to spinners] especially in the last 2-3 years. But he has scored a lot of runs too. What you want to see him do more is use his feet. Get to the pitch of the ball, probably employ the sweep. You’ve got to move with the times, don’t be afraid to go over the top when the field is up. You could try and do things to unsettle the spinners rather than allowing him to keep bowling at you. It’s what he did a lot when he scored a lot of runs,” Shastri told during commentary of the Test.

The 62 year-old explained that some of the pitches that have been prepared for Tests at home weren’t ideal to bat on. “Also some of the tracks that India have played on. It’s not been easy. Plus I know a few dismissals where like Shubman Gill in the first innings, he’s gotten caught down leg wide. Funny dismissals. He’ll be aware of it. That’s for sure. There is no batter who doesn’t remember. Obviously you find a method of finding a solution. Find out what works for you and stick with that,” added Shastri.

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Kohli’s forgettable run in Tests since 2021

The 25 year-old has had a forgettable run in Tests since 2021. In 23 innings across 14 Tests in Asia, Kohli has scored just 654 runs at an average of 29.72. This includes one century and two half-centuries. Across all Tests since the last three years, the right-handed batter has managed only 1669 runs from 51 innings at an average of 32.72, with eight fifties and two centuries.

The two-match Test series against Bangladesh will be followed by three Tests against New Zealand in October, and a five-match Test series against Australia in Australia from November.