'If you're getting out to...': Sunil Gavaskar's big statement on Virat Kohli's form ahead of India vs Pakistan tie

Cricketing legend Sunil Gavaskar expressed concerns over Virat Kohli's lean patch as he was unable to score during India's ICC Champions Trophy 2025 opening game against Bangladesh. Kohli who holds the record of most ODI centuries got out on 22 runs against Bangladesh as he struggled to get into the rhythm. He was dismissed by wrist spinner Rishad Hossain while trying to cut him but was caught by Soumya Sarkar at backward point.

Kohli who scored a fifty in the third ODI against England again failed to perform as the batting great fell prey to spin for the sixth consecutive time in ODIs. Out of Kohli’s last six dismissals, five have been against the wrist spin. Gavaskar recently opened up on Kohli's continuous failure against spinners and suggested him watch out for his bat face while playing a stroke.

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“It is to a great extent due to the fact that the bat face opens up, same thing happens when, when he's playing against the quicks in Australia. The bat face opening up, looking to play through the covers, opening the face of the bat, that gets him into trouble,” Gavaskar told India Today.

“So that is something that he's got to watch out for. A couple of times before he got out, he reached for Rishad, the ball turned, the bat face opened, and luckily the bat face opened, and so there was no nick. So that is something that he'll have to tighten up on now. But yes, I guess if you're getting out to the same kind of bowling, then you, you, you, there is a, there's a bit of concern there,” he added.

Kohli is currently going through a lean patch in his career. The modern-day great failed to perform in Australia during five Test match series of Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 and after that he he featured for Delhi in a Ranji Trophy match where he got out scoring just six runs. Now the star batter will feature in the high-voltage India vs Pakistan clash which will take place on February 23 at Dubai International Stadium in Dubai.