Virat Kohli has struggled against leg-spinners in the 2024–25 season, frequently getting dismissed by them.
Highlights:
- India will face Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on February 23 in Dubai.
- India will face Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on February 23 in Dubai.
- Virat Kohli will be aiming for a big knock against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy.
India and Pakistan will clash in a high-stakes Champions Trophy match on February 23 in Dubai. Pakistan faces elimination after a 60-run loss to New Zealand, while India, fresh off a six-wicket win over Bangladesh, aims to advance. Virat Kohli, known for delivering in big games, will be a key player in this intense rivalry.
In the 2022 T20 World Cup, Virat Kohli’s iconic knock rescued India’s chase against Pakistan. However, the Indian maestro will also aim to overcome some weaknesses in the upcoming clash.
During the 2024–25 season, Virat Kohli has struggled against leg-spinners. In the first match against Bangladesh, he faced 11 dot balls in the middle overs and managed just 22 runs off 38 balls before falling to leg-spinner Rishad Hossain.
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Earlier in February, during a home ODI series, England leg-spinner Adil Rashid dismissed Virat Kohli twice. He also struggled against Sri Lanka last year when India lost the series 0–2.
Virat Kohli vs Abrar Ahmed
Virat Kohli and Abrar Ahmed have yet to face each other, but the Pakistani leg-spinner could challenge Kohli given his recent struggles. While Kohli’s class is undeniable, his recent dismissals have exposed a weakness Pakistan may exploit. Abrar’s impressive performances, including figures of 2-41 and 4-27 in Tests against the West Indies, highlight his ability to trouble top batters.
Given Virat Kohli’s recent struggles against leg-spin, Pakistan may strategically deploy Abrar Ahmed in their crucial match. Captain Muhammad Rizwan could introduce the right-arm wrist-spinner early to exploit Kohli’s hesitant form against spin.
Squad
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar.
Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Hasnain, Usman Khan, Kamran Ghulam, Faheem Ashraf.
