Indian skipper Virat Kohli has tweaked his technique to counter Jack Leach and Moeen Ali’s spin in the 2nd Innings after getting cleaned up by a sharp turner by Moeen Ali in the first innings. Moeen Ali who has an outstanding record against Virat Kohli was brought into the attack just before Kohli walked out to bat.
The ball which dismissed the Indian skipper turned sharply and went through the gap between bat and pad as Virat attempted to drive the ball between the mid-off and covers region. This is not the first time Virat Kohli was seen struggling against the spin as, during the 2020 IPL, Kohli had managed to score 34 runs against off-spinners, including one four. On the other hand, Kohli had aggregated 195 runs against fast bowlers.
Even during the first innings of the first Test against England, Virat Kohli was dismissed by off-spinner Dom Bess as he popped one to Ollie Pope at short leg.
Excellent Delivery From Moeen Ali to Dismissed Kohli On Duck.
#INDvsENG— umair khan (@ksz399) February 13, 2021
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Virat Kohli Tweaks Technique To Counter Moeen Ali And Jack Leach
During the 2nd Test, after Virat Kohli was dismissed by Moeen Ali in the first innings, the Indian skipper was seen tweaking his technique against the England spinners. If you closely look at the difference as shown below, Virat Kohli was seen taking a middle – off stump guard in the first innings, wherein he looked to play Moeen Ali far away from the body resulting in the huge gap between bat and pad.
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Now in the 2nd Innings, Virat Kohli has been taking an off stump guard, fully covering the wicket which has helped him play the ball close to the body right under his eyes. Though it seemed like a minor adjustment to those sitting behind the TV screens, it has resulted in high dividends for the Indian skipper as he’s been able to counter spin far better than what he could in the first innings.
The way both Kohli and Ashwin have approached the England spinners in a different manner, Virat Kohli has relied more on playing drives and flicks of the front and back foot while Ashwin has looked to score runs majorly playing the sweep shot.
At Lunch, India are currently 156/5 with a lead of 351 runs. With the way Kohli and Ashwin have negotiated spin in the 1st session, it seems likely that India will bat until they’re out of wickets or unless they have a lead in excess of 450 runs.
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