India’s senior pros Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli came under heavy criticism for the lack of runs in the ongoing home Test season that culminated in the team’s first series loss in India in 12 years. While Rohit has scored 104 runs, Kohli has aggregated 187 runs in eight innings. Since Kohli didn’t play the England series, the sample size is a bit small, however, three single-digit scores in four Test matches at home including a duck and a single run doesn’t give a good look, especially with the high standards he has set.
Kohli continued to struggle against the spinners as Mitchell Santner‘s accuracy and guile proved just too good for the Indian batters 13 times in the Pune Test. With just one game to go before the Australia series, India will desperately hope for both Rohit and Kohli to find some form. However, former New Zealand pacer-turned-commentator Simon Doull reckoned that Kohli’s form might not be as grave a concern as it is made out to be.
“There’re issues against spin but he’s not the only one. You’re not going to find those (spin-friendly) conditions in Australia. He (Kohli) had a great series Down Under,” Doull told PTI. “He plays quick bowling as well as he has for the last four or five years. So, I don’t think it’s a concern,” he added.
Doull reckoned that Indian batters’ technique against spin got exposed a bit having played on good wickets for so long consistently. The 55-year-old suggested that they have been able to shut down the opponents with the quality of spin bowlers India have had but them folding that too so badly against New Zealand’s attack would concern them a bit.
“I think you get used to playing on such good wickets. And when it does turn, techniques get exposed a little bit. For a long time, when India played on turning surfaces, they still had the best spinners in the world in Jadeja and Ashwin.
“So, they’ve been able to undo other sides. In this Test match, they were undone by a New Zealand side that, with all due respect, is not a world-class spin bowling attack. So, that will be a concern of some sort,” he further said.
The third and final Test match of the series in Mumbai kicks off on November 1-5.