Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel. Photo-BCCI
Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel. Photo-BCCI

Virat Kohli’s struggles with the bat continued even in nets as pacer Jasprit Bumrah and spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel toyed with the ace batter in nets ahead of the second Test between India and Bangladesh in Kanpur’s Green Park Stadium.

India leads the series 1-0 after winning the first Test in Chennai by 280 runs. That Test also marked Virat Kohli’s comeback to Test cricket after January this year. Kohli had last played Tests on a South Africa tour and scored runs, but missed the five-Test England series at home for the birth of his child.

However, his return to Test cricket was far from pristine, as he scored 6 and 17 in the two innings of the Chennai Test, falling to Hasan Mahmud and Mehidy Hasan Miraz respectively.

Virat Kohli struggles big time against Jasprit Bumrah; gets out 4 times in 16 balls by pacer

Kohli has not had the best start to the Test season, and recent occurrences during India’s net practice session at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur appear to reflect his ongoing fight with old vulnerabilities.

According to the Indian Express, Kohli struggled with both spin and pace bowling. The great batsman faced India’s finest fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, for approximately 15 deliveries, during which he was dismissed four times.

Kohli appeared at ease at first, unleashing a few signature strokes, including a cover drive that elicited cheers from the small crowd. But then Bumrah hit one on Kohli’s pads, prompting a confident cry of “saamne laga hai (You are plumb)” from the pacer, which Kohli recognized.

The duel heated up even more when Bumrah shortened his length, giving Kohli an edge. Bumrah next took a straighter line, trapping Kohli twice more, both times with the ball thrown after striking his inner edge.

Teasing the former captain, Bumrah smiled and quipped, “Aakhiri wala toh short leg ka catch tha (The short leg would have caught that last one).”

Axar Patel castles Virat Kohli with perfect left-arm spinner’s dismissal

Virat Kohli then majorly struggled against the trio of Indian spinners Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel.

His struggles with spin bowling have been well documented in recent years; when facing Jadeja, Kohli attempted to counter by playing inside-out, but he missed the stroke three times in a row, becoming upset. Later in the session, Axar Patel knocked Kohli out, marking the end of his innings.

Kohli’s technical troubles in red-ball cricket, notably against deliveries outside the off-stump, have hampered him in recent years.

Kohli’s problems also highlight a deeper issue for the team, as India requires one of its finest batsmen to be in peak condition for the rigorous Test season ahead, which includes a home series against New Zealand and the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.

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