During the India vs New Zealand match on Sunday, after Virat Kohli holed out in the deep off the bowling of Ish Sodhi, former batsman VVS Laxman mentioned on air: ‘That is very uncharacteristic of Kohli to be playing that shot'. And aptly so. Kohli, having laboured to 9 off 17 balls buckled under pressure, and trying to go for a six, was out caught at long on.
Hours before the start of India’s must-win game against Afghanistan on Wednesday, Laxman explained why Kohli played the rash shot, saying it was a way to break the shackles after the India captain was tied down. Against the spin duo of Sodhi and Mitchell Santner, Kohli struggled to rotate strike – something Laxman feels has never been a problem with the star India batsman – which in turn, mounted pressure on the India captain.
"He should not get into a situation or a position where you are forced to play a low percentage shot. The reason he played that shot against Ish Sodhi after the drinks break was because of the dot ball percentage. And he was not able to rotate the strike. I haven’t seen that problem with Virat Kohli either against Pakistan or ever in his entire career," Laxman said on Star Sports.
{{/usCountry}}"He should not get into a situation or a position where you are forced to play a low percentage shot. The reason he played that shot against Ish Sodhi after the drinks break was because of the dot ball percentage. And he was not able to rotate the strike. I haven’t seen that problem with Virat Kohli either against Pakistan or ever in his entire career," Laxman said on Star Sports.
{{/usCountry}}As for what Kohli should do against Afghanistan, adds Laxman, is play to his strengths, i.e. – keep on taking as many singles or doubles as possible even if the boundaries dry up. That aspect of game has Kohli fetched plenty of success in his career and Laxman said he would like to see the India captain keep the scorers busy.
"The strength of Virat Kohli is manipulating the field and playing to his strength, which is executing those high percentage shots with the turn and in the gaps. Even if you are not getting boundaries, it is important to rotate strike, especially in Abu Dhabi where the ground is big. He is very quick in between the wickets," pointed out Laxman.