After Virat Kohli struggled to get going in India's Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh in Dubai, World Cup-winning spinner Harbhajan Singh has asked the star batsman to play more freely against spin. On Thursday, February 20, India successfully chased 229 runs before Kohli was removed for 22 off 38 balls. Virat Kohli was dismissed by leg-spinner Rishad Hossain after facing ten dot balls against spin.
After Rohit Sharma had given India's pursuit a head start with a 36-ball 41, Kohli looked agitated by his inability to rotate the strike during his partnership with Shubman Gill. Following Rohit's departure, the scoring rate decreased as Kohli struggled to rotate the strike before playing a sloppy cut shot against Rishad.
Harbhajan Singh on Virat Kohli
"I certainly believe that slower bowlers, leggies, have given him some sort of discomfort. He needs to come up with some plan against leggies. He needs to find a way to convert those dot balls into singles. I think when the form is not there, this is exactly what happens-you tend to take a lot more time, you tend to take more time to settle into an innings. That's exactly what is happening with Virat Kohli. Cricket is a great leveller. It goes on to show that no matter how big you are, your reputation will not count. But what you do there, the intent that you show, will take you forward," Harbhajan Singh told India Today.
"I think he is getting stuck because he is taking a bit more time. I believe he needs to back himself and play like Virat Kohli. He has got nothing to prove to anyone. He is a champion player. Even if he retires today, he would go on to be recognised as a legend who served India really well. I believe he just needs to enjoy his game, take the extra baggage out of his mind, and bat freely," he added.
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During the time when spinners are in action, Kohli has struggled with his strike rate in the middle overs. He was removed twice by leg-spinner Adil Rashid during the just-finished three-match ODI series against England. In the Test series in Australia, the star batsman was also having a tough time, scoring only 184 runs in 10 innings.
After his infrequent Ranji Trophy participation last month, in which he again failed to make an impression, concerns regarding his form persisted in the ODI series against England. Adil Rashid, however, demonstrated his difficulties against spin in particular. Notably, on an ODI trip to the island nation last year, Kohli had also struggled against Sri Lankan spinners.
Harbhajan emphasized that Kohli's difficulty is more psychological than technical, emphasizing that the great batsman must support himself more when facing spinners.
"Today (Thursday) was the opportunity, I believe, where he probably wanted to get back to form, wanted to face many more balls, and get ready for the Pakistan game. That didn't happen. It was a very slow innings. Against the spinners, we have seen him unable to rotate strike. But we saw Virat Kohli playing lofted cover drives and sweep shots in Australia. He needs to back himself to showcase what Virat Kohli was. He can still do the job. It's just a mental thing. Only he can help himself to get out of this. The team needs him to score runs," he said
"He needs to do it from the next game. Imagine, if India play the semi-final against Afghanistan, he might have to face three quality spinners. So it's time to work on it. He needs to start backing himself. People are there to watch him, go out there and enjoy."
When India plays Pakistan in the eagerly anticipated match on Sunday, February 23, they will be hoping Virat Kohli finds his finest rhythm.