After an unfulfilling half-century against New Zealand in the Bengaluru Test, Virat Kohli‘s poor run of form continued in the Pune Test. The star batter arrived on the pitch after the dismissal of Shubman Gill but only lasted for 9 balls. Attempting a bizarre shot, Virat was dismissed for just 1 run by Mitchell Santner. Seeing Kohli depart for another low score in the series, India legend and former coach Anil Kumble pointed a finger at the batter’s absence from the domestic circuit, suggesting a stint in the Irani Cup or other such events might have helped him better prepare.

Spin bowling has been a concern for Virat Kohli for a long time. Santner effectively exploited his weakness against spinners and sent him packing for a cheap score. Kumble feels Kohli should’ve worked on this aspect of his game in domestic cricket, as mere net practice isn’t enough.

“Perhaps just one or two innings in a match situation could have helped. Being in an actual game is definitely more beneficial than just practice; it gives an upper hand. If he feels that playing earlier would have benefited him, and the team management agrees, then maybe it would have. However, I don’t think we can look at that as the only reason for his struggles against spin,” Kumble said on Jio Cinema.

“When he’s come to the crease, the pitches have often favoured spin, which is a significant factor. His challenges against spin at the start of his innings haven’t been solely due to mindset but also conditions that aided spinners. This contributed to the dismissals of Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli to the left-arm spin of Glenn Phillips, who was brought on as a strategic move. Even the best modern-day batters find these situations tricky,” Kumble further explained.

With the first Test already resulting in a loss for India, a defeat against the Kiwis in the second Test would be catastrophic for the Indian team.