Former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman stated that Indian batsmen struggling against spin bowling has become a pattern citing the examples of world-class batsmen Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Former India cricketer VVS Laxman said the Indian batsmen struggling to deal with spin has become a pattern these days after skipper Virat Kohli and vice-captain Rohit Sharma were both dismissed by spinners in the third ODI against England on Sunday.
Virat Kohli has struggled against Adil Rashid in past too and it is been repeated in this series. This was the ninth time Ali dismissed Kohli in international cricket. Rashid too has dismissed the Indian skipper nine times in international cricket. VVS Laxman remarked that it’s a cause of concern as it’s becoming a pattern.
Virat Kohli Has Been Dismissed 9 Times Each By Moeen Ali And Adil Rashid
Indian Skipper Virat Kohli and vice-captain Rohit Sharma got out to spin in the third and final ODI against England. Rohit was dismissed by 37 by Adil Rashid’s googly while Moeen Ali bowled Virat Kohli with a massive spinning delivery.
“The dismissal of KL Rahul was very unfortunate, getting out on a full toss. But both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be really disappointed when they would see the replay because this has almost become like a pattern against the spinners.
“Rohit Sharma not able to read the googly from Adil Rashid and then Shikhar Dhawan got out. And then, Moeen Ali gets the wicket of Virat Kohli. The ball was pitched up and Virat Kohli was looking to play through the off side against the turn, giving himself room. I think this is a cause of concern because Indian players are supposed to be excellent batsmen against spin bowling. Overall, the wonderful foundation laid by Shikhar and Rohit Sharma was halted by the spin bowling duo of Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali.” said a concerned Laxman.
In the ODI series, five Indian wickets were bagged by English spinners: three for Rashid, one for Moeen, and one for Liam Livingstone. On the other hand, until the third game, only one visitors’ wicket was claimed by an Indian spinner.
The dismissals of the most dependables didn’t come back to haunt India as the hosts run the show with the help of Rishabh Pant (78), and Hardik Pandya (64) to help India post a match-winning total of 329 runs on the board. Sam Curran made a commendable effort but England were short by only 7 runs where India went onto win the series 2-1. All the players are gearing up upcoming IPL which starts in less than 10 days now.
