'I'm not going to defend Virat Kohli here, but....': Dinesh Karthik's blunt remark on RCB teammate's struggle vs Sri Lankan spinners

Dinesh Karthik feels it is hard to play on spin-friendly Sri Lankan wickets but did not defend his former teammate Virat Kohli's dismissals.

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Virat Kohli walking back to the dressing room after losing his wicket; Dinesh Karthik as broadcaster (Getty Images)

Virat Kohli walking back to the dressing room after losing his wicket; Dinesh Karthik as broadcaster (Getty Images)

Highlights:

Virat Kohli's high score in the ODI series was 24.

India lost two of the three ODIs against Sri Lanka.

The Rohit Sharma-led side on Sri Lankan soil failed to win a single ODI of the three-ODI series. In the run chase, they failed to get over the mark as Sri Lankan spinners dominated the proceedings in the middle overs. In all three run chases, India missed the form of their ‘chase master’ Virat Kohli who got off to starts but could not convert them into big scores. As India lost the bilateral ODI series to Sri Lanka after a long gap of 27 years, former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik did not defend his Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) teammate.
 

Kohli registered scores of 24, 14 and 20 respectively in the ODI series. Karthik feels that it is hard to bat on pitches where there is so much assistance for spinners. 
 

“In this series… let's admit. Be it Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma or anyone else. With a slightly semi-new ball, between overs 8-30, it's hard work. Nothing to worry about. Not too many pitches work that way, but it's been a tough pitch to play spinners. I'm not going to defend Virat Kohli here, but playing spin here is very hard,” Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
 

Kohli’s ODI record in Sri Lanka

Overall, Kohli has a good record on Sri Lankan pitches. He has scored 1,086 runs from 29 innings at an average of 45.25 including five centuries and two fifties.

 

ALSO READ: 'Sachin Tendulkar was there and now there is Virat Kohli': Goalkeeper PR Sreejesh makes big statement on his replacement after retirement
 

Next ODI series 

The Indian team will not play another ODI series this year. The next ODI series will be against England at home in February 2025. It will take place before the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

 

ALSO READ: 'He has got me out on a lot of times, had to see what...': Kieron Pollard reveals his mindset after hitting MI New York teammate Rashid Khan for 5 sixes on trot
 

Theekshana credits turning wickets for series win

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka spinner Maheesh Theekshana said that the reason why Indian batters struggled is because they are used to play on good wickets at home.
 

“They (India) usually play on good wickets and small boundaries in India,” Theekshana had said after the series win.
 

“We knew playing in Premadasa, if there’s little bit turn, we can take advantage because we have good spinners,” the 24-year-old spinner added.
 

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