IND vs NZ: Virat Kohli's Left-Arm Spin Dilemma - How Spin Demons Haunted the King since 2021

The Pune crowd was left in pin drop silence after Virat Kohli fell for 1 in the morning session of the ongoing Pune Test against New Zealand. When India resumed the innings on Day 2, they lost Shubman Gill for 30.

When Virat Kohli walked out to bat at his usual No.4 position, there was a sense of belief that he would dictate terms. However, that wasn't meant to be the case as he fell prey to Mitchell Santner's delivery.

The former Indian skipper misjudged a full-toss delivery as the ball went on to shatter the stumps. In a Test battle, there is no room for could haves and should haves; it's all about seizing the moment and delivering under pressure.

Just as when Kohli tried to break the shackles by attempting to play a shot, he paid the price for his miscalculation, leaving the team in a spot of bother. His most recent dismissal meant that he registered an unwanted record against spin in the Asian conditions.

Virat Kohli vs Spin in Asia since 2021

Since the beginning of 2021, the senior pro has faced spin in 26 innings in Asia. Overall, he has amassed a total of 606 runs at an average of 28.85, which is low considering a player of that stature. He has maintained a strike rate of 49.67, which also indicated that Kohli has been less dominant against spin.

Out of his 21 dismissals against spin, ten of them came against left-arm orthodox bowlers. This goes to show that Kohli struggled against them, more often than not as he averages 27.10. Since the last few years, he has occasionally found himself falling prey to such bowlers, even during his peak years.

The left-arm spinners have often created plenty of doubts in Kohli's mind in recent years. Moreover, it appeared that he was just grinding through spin spells rather than scoring freely and Kohli will have to get back to the drawing board and adjust technical adjustments wherever necessary.

Talking about the morning session, Team India resumed the play with a positive note on Day 2 in the Pune Test against New Zealand. While it initially looked promising, with the way Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal negated the Kiwis' bowling attack, that spell didn't last long as the Kiwis managed to claw their way back into the game.

Mitchell Santner was the wrecker-in-chief as he got rid of Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan and Ravichandran Ashwin. Glenn Phillips dismissed Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal whereas Tim Southee got the prized wicket of Rohit Sharma. As things stand, India posted 107/7 in 38 overs (Lunch).