India vs Australia: Once dominating, now floundering - Numbers reveal big concern for Virat Kohli ahead of World Cup

After being dominant last year, the Indian spinners have struggled to pick wickets in 2019. Well, to make matters worse, they have not been able to plug the runs either, which has been a big concern for captain Virat Kohli

It has not been a hugely successful year for the Indian spinners, and one the major reasons for the 2-2 score line in the ongoing series against Australia has been the ineffectiveness of the tweakers to wrest control of the middle phase.

File image of Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Kedar Jadhav and MS Dhoni (AFP)

After being dominant last year, the Indian spinners have struggled to pick wickets in 2019. Well, to make matters worse, they have not been able to plug the runs either, which has been a big concern for captain Virat Kohli. Yes, the conditions have not been entirely friendly for them to have an impact, but with the World Cup fast approaching, the Indian management would hope, they make substantial improvement in the final game of the series.

In the fourth ODI in Mohali, the spinners gave away 188 runs in 25 overs at an economy of 7.52. They were put under immense pressure by the Australian middle order and floundered. Kuldeep Yadav, who has been Kohli’s trump card in the middle overs, has now conceded more than 60 runs in back to back matches. His bowling figures were as follows:

o 10-0-64-1 against Australia, Mohali, 10 March 2019

o 10-0-64-3 against Australia, Ranchi, 8 March 2019

Chahal, who was brought in in Mohali, gave away 80 runs for only a single wicket in the match. The economy rate of the Indian spinners is the worst this year, and this has impeded Kohli’s efforts to control the middle phase of the match, which has time and again, dictated the outcome of the game.

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