New Delhi: Star Indian batter Virat Kohli practiced hard in the nets a day ahead of the high-octane Champions Trophy battle between India and Pakistan in Dubai. Kohli arrived at the ICC academy two hours before scheduled practice time to polish his batting issues against spin, which has been a problem the legendary batter has been facing for some time in the 50-over format.
In the Champions Trophy opening game against Bangladesh, Kohli could just score 22 runs in 38 balls after being dismissed on a outside off stump delivery bowled by a Bangladeshi wrist-spinner Rishad Hossain. It was his sixth consecutive dismissal against spin bowling. The superstar of Indian cricket was troubled by the ball outside the off-stump from the pacers in the BGT 2024-25 against Australia as well and has been found to be vulnerable against spin in the 50-over format recently.
Just before the start of the marquee event, Kohli had faced troubles against England in the home ODI series as leg spinner Adil Rashid managed to dismiss him.
Kohli’s unquestionable commitment
Irrespective of how his form is, Kohli’s commitment to the game of cricket remains unquestionable after he was spotted practicing alone well before his teammates joined him in the nets. As per multiple media reports, the star batter was also the last player from the Indian team to leave the ground. Kohli himself and Team India would be eagerly wanting their superstar batter to show up and deliver in the high-voltage clash against the Asian rivals.
According to a report published in news agency PTI, the majority of the bowlers Kohli faced were spinners. In the bouquet, there were a couple of leg-break bowlers, two off-spinners and also a left-arm spinner as Kohli practised against all the varieties of spin. In the Pakistan team, Khushdil Shah is a left-arm spinner and Salman Agha is an off-spinner so Kohli’s practice should come handy. While India are sitting comfortably after the win over Bangladesh, Pakistan find themselves in a must-win situation.
After emerging victorious in the opening clash against Bangladesh, India face Pakistan in the second match of the Champions Trophy on Sunday. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
