Virat Kohli took a stride forward and started taking more chances against spin last year, especially when it came to effectively using the slog sweep.
Chepauk is hardly likely to be at the top of Virat Kohli’s list if he is ever asked to choose one of the IPL’s venues to bat on. He has only amassed 383 runs at an average of 29.46 in 13 tournament outings to Chennai. However, his strike rate of 111.01 provides a more lucid picture. Like the RCB teams he has played for, Kohli is more adept at handling pace and real bounce than the spinners Chepauk so lovingly raises.
After a rain break, the pitch abruptly and momentarily offered a steep bend, making his 29-ball 47 in RCB’s victory over CSK in a game that had to be won particularly memorable. Although Kohli finished IPL 2024 with the most runs scored, his increased performance against spin was what really stood out. He virtually doubled his boundary % from the previous three years last year, going from hitting spin at exactly a run-a-ball in 2021 to 137.08 last year.
Virat Kohli against Spin
| Year | Runs | BF | SR | Wks | Ave | Dot% | Bnd% | Sweep% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 220 | 202 | 108.91 | 2 | 110 | 27.1 | 6.43 | 1 |
| 2021 | 134 | 134 | 100 | 3 | 44.66 | 36 | 8.95 | 2.2 |
| 2022 | 107 | 99 | 108.08 | 4 | 26.75 | 31 | 8.08 | 1 |
| 2023 | 238 | 211 | 112.79 | 5 | 47.6 | 25.4 | 9.95 | 1.9 |
| 2024 | 292 | 213 | 137.08 | 5 | 58.4 | 28.5 | 15.02 | 10.6 |
| 2025 | 24 | 20 | 120 | 0 | – | 20 | 10 | 20 |
One year later, the 36-year-old Kohli will likely face the most difficult test of his career in Chennai when he takes on a three-man spin attack that includes R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Noor Ahmad. He is capable of handling that, said Dinesh Karthik, the batting coach and mentor for the RCB.
On the eve of the match on Thursday, March 27, Karthik stated, “He has batted well in the recent past against spin, especially in white-ball cricket.” I don’t want to get too far into statistics, then. I’m not really conscious. However, I seem to recall that he scored runs where it counted in the [T20] World Cup finals. Aside from that, he had a strong tournament and finished second in terms of runs scored [for India] in the Champions Trophy. And playing on spin is a prerequisite for that.
Therefore, I think he is batting better than ever right now. He wanted to work on one more shot, and you spoke to him just now as I was leaving. The fact that he is working on one more shot at this moment indicates how hungry he is. He simply wants to get better and keep getting better. He is therefore a unique player. And in my opinion, he is batting as confidently and skilfully right now as he has ever done in the IPL.”
Kohli got off to a good start this season, hitting 24 from the 20 balls he faced against spin on a less spin-friendly track in Kolkata. He famously tried the sweep against Varun Chakaravarthy & Co. once every five balls. It’s unclear whether Karthik was referring to the reverse sweep, the one shot he hasn’t used in the IPL since 2016.
After focussing on the need to recover their home advantage for a few seasons, CSK seems to have the kind of home pitches they want. Stephen Fleming remarked, “If it does turn, great,” before stating that they were content to play on any surface.
“It’s challenging. Really, we have very little control over what happens. Every pitch has a distinct quality. That’s what we’ve discovered. The key to playing here has been having a team that is fairly well-equipped for any situation, so we’ll work extremely hard from the first ball to try and figure that out,” Fleming stated.
“We do think the wicket is flat. We have people who can bowl well under those circumstances. Fantastic if it turns. We’re hunting for the other two because I’m sure we won’t get a green seamer,” he continued.
India
