Ex-India Player Directs Virat Kohli To Domestic Cricket Following Poor Test Performance

In Pune, Team India lost to New Zealand by an unexpected 113 runs in the second Test. New Zealand interrupted India's 12-year winning streak at home in Test cricket with this historic defeat, giving them an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Despite needing 359 runs to win the second Test, India was knocked out for 245 as Mitchell Santner, the Kiwi spin maestro, wreaked havoc with his six-wicket haul. Besides, the poor performance of ace batsman Virat Kohli is another significant worry for Rohit Sharma and company in addition to this defeat. Despite scoring 70 runs in the first Test, the 35-year-old batsman utterly failed to make an impression in the two Test matches. Furthermore, Mitchell Santner, the left-arm spinner of the New Zealand squad, dismissed Kohli for 1 and 17 in the second game, revealing his inability to handle left-arm spinners. 

One of the factors contributing to India's first home Test series defeat since 2012 was Kohli's poor play. The former captain of India hasn't been able to duplicate his 2012-2019 form after 2020. Kohli has only amassed two Test tons in the past four years, and those occurred in 2023 - once against the West Indies and once against Australia on a flat field in Ahmedabad. The last time fans saw a Virat Kohli century in red-ball cricket was in 2023 when he hit 121 against the West Indies in Port of Spain. Since then, the right-handed hitter has participated in six Test matches but has only failed to reach the 50-run milestone twice. Since he has been having trouble with the turning ball, Kohli's form has been a major worry in the current India vs New Zealand Test series. 

In order to improve his performance in the red-ball format, former Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik believes Virat Kohli should return to playing domestic cricket. Karthik voiced his worries about Virat Kohli's incapacity to perform in the current IND vs NZ Test series and his difficulties against spin. According to him, India's humiliating series loss at home is simply a result of Kohli's poor performance in the second Test match against New Zealand in Pune. Notably, it was the first time that the experienced player was dismissed twice in a Test match by a left-arm spinner, which set up an exciting face-off for the final Test match in Mumbai. 

"Virat Kohli has not had it easy, the series has not been good to him, three out of four innings, he has disappointed. It's obviously a recurring partner where spinners have troubled him, and I think he will go and figure out what he needs to do to come out stronger. He is a man, who is searching for answers. When you reach that level of genius and super stardom, you will be thrown challenges and here is another challenge. India likes to play on pitches that aids spin, what is his gameplan?" said Dinesh Karthik while speaking to a news reporting channel.

With an average of 33.38 in the format and 24 dismissals against spin in 50 innings since 2021, Kohli's performance against spin is concerning. Besides, the latest Test century that Kohli scored was his 29th in July 2023. To save some honor for his side, the seasoned hitter would be hoping to make a return in the third and final Test. Subsequently, the fact that Kohli hasn't made many significant runs in the Test format in a long time was brought home to him by Dinesh.

"We all know what he is capable of, this series was not meant to be. Like the fans have been saying, he has not done it for a long time and that we cannot run away from. We don't want to sugarcoat it because we want to be as objective in assessing any player, any performance, at the moment. Virat Kohli's Test record in the last 2-3 years, has not been great against spin," said Karthik.

"What we needs to do, is probably go back to domestic cricket and focus on what needs to be done with the current rules of DRS. There is no doubt the left-arm spinners pose a big threat," he added.

Kohli’s Last Ranji Appearance

In November 2012, Virat Kohli participated in the Ranji Trophy for the last time. Virender Sehwag led Delhi against Uttar Pradesh in the game, which was played at Ghaziabad. Kohli lost against Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the match after scoring 14 runs in the first innings and 43 in the second. Delhi lost the match by six wickets despite his satisfactory performance. Since he quickly established himself as a vital member of the Indian national squad, this game signaled the end of Kohli's Ranji Trophy run for the following ten years. On the other hand, his record in domestic cricket is remarkable. During his 23 games in the Ranji Trophy, Kohli has amassed 1,574 runs at an average of 51, including five hundreds.