“Whether it is Rashid or Rishad”: Ex-India player reacts to Virat Kohli’s struggles against spinners
Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra expressed concerns over Virat Kohli’s struggles against leg-spin. He noted Kohli’s dismissal by Rishad Hossain in the 2025 Champions Trophy match against Bangladesh, following a similar dismissal by Adil Rashid in the recent England ODI series.
In India’s opening Group A match on February 20, Bangladesh was bowled out for 228. Kohli managed only 22 runs from 38 balls in the chase, but India won by six wickets with 21 balls to spare.
On his YouTube channel, Chopra discussed Kohli’s ongoing issues against leg-spin, emphasizing that this could become a problem as the tournament progresses.
“It’s becoming quite a spectacle now. Whether it’s Rashid or Rishad, if he’s a leg-spinner, he seems to get Kohli out. Sometimes on the front foot, other times on the back foot. It’s not a good situation, and it’s not a great look,” he remarked (11:10).
“He keeps getting dismissed as soon as a leg-spinner comes on. Honestly speaking, his batting didn’t look like it was in top form. Even when he scored a fifty in the previous match in Ahmedabad, it didn’t seem like he was in full flow,” he noted.
“Even here, when he came in to bat, he took almost ten balls to get off the mark. After that, it still didn’t look like he was timing the ball well. A lot of shots hit the inside edge of the bat. He was reading the length okay, but his batting didn’t resemble the usual ‘Kohli’ style,” Chopra added.
“I don’t know what’s happening against leg spinners. He’s been getting out while defending, driving, and even while trying the cut shot today (Thursday). I don’t have an explanation. He’s getting out to spinners when the ball is moving away from him—whether it’s leg spin or left-arm spin. There’s definitely an issue. The improvement starts when you first accept the truth,” he concluded (12:10).
Chopra expressed optimism that Kohli could overcome this weakness before India’s upcoming 2025 Champions Trophy clash against Pakistan. He also mentioned that Abrar Ahmed, a mystery leg-spinner, could pose a real threat to Kohli on a spin-friendly Dubai pitch if the issue persists.
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