Sunil Gavaskar has expressed concerns about the Indian star batsman further falling into the same trap and being dismissed because of an open-faced bat.
In the Champions Trophy against Bangladesh, Kohli was bowled out for just 22 – caught by Saumya Sarkar at backward point – by wrist spinner Rishad Hossain while attempting a cut shot.
In ODI matches, this was the sixth time in a row Kohli has succumbed to spin, as he also found it hard going against England leg spinner Adil Rashid in India’s previous home series.
This follows Kohli having had a rather rough Australian tour, where fast bowlers got him out repeatedly in the off-side corridor.
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“It is to a great extent due to the fact that the bat face opens up, the same thing happens when he is playing against the quicks in Australia,” Sunil Gavaskar told India Today.
“The bat face is open, it’s a front foot play to the covers, opening up the bat face that gets him into trouble. So this is something he needs to sort out,” Gavaskar added.
“A couple of balls earlier, before he got out, he stretched forward for Rishad, the ball turned, so his bat face opened up, and thank God it opened up – or else there would be a nick – but that is one area that he will have to tighten up on now,” Gavaskar maintained.
“But yeah, I suppose if you get out playing against the same kind of bowling, then, you know, there is a bit of concern with you,” he added.
Kohli, who scored 765 runs in 11 matches during the 2023 ODI World Cup, this year has been in a slump, making just 137 runs in six innings at an average of 22.83, with one half-century. He has scored only 440 runs in Tests since 2024, in 11 matches.
On Sunday, India faces Pakistan in the Champions Trophy in Dubai.
