VVS Laxman deciphers the reasons behind Virat Kohli’s lean patch

VVS Laxman, the former Indian batsman, has tried to find the chinks in Virat Kohli’s armour. The latter has flattered to deceive in the ongoing Test series against New Zealand, scoring a mere 38 runs at an average of 9.80. In both the innings of the second Test at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch, Virat was trapped plumb in front, first by Tim Southee and then Colin de Grandhomme.

Trying to delve deep into Virat’s technical glitch, Laxman said that the batter isn’t bringing the bat down properly, leading to discomfort. The veteran stated that it was the same way Kohli was getting out to James Anderson when India toured England for a Test series back in 2014.

Laxman analyses Virat’s technical issues

“The problem for Virat Kohli is not the LBW dismissal, but the way the bat is coming down. This was the way he was getting out in England against the moving ball, especially against James Anderson,” Laxman was quoted as saying in Star Sports.

Laxman said that Kohli’s bat movement is allowing a massive gap between bad and pad. “In this series we have seen the bat coming down at an angle, that is why there is always going to be a gap between bat and ball. He will not have any time to meet the ball once there is movement,” Laxman added.

Virat’s failures wasn’t limited to only the red-ball format. Even in the ODI series, he couldn’t quite live up to the expectations. He had the worst series as Team India’s captain, scoring 75 runs in three matches. It was his poorest performance in a bilateral ODI series since his captaincy debut. Virat’s poor run has meant that India are straining to draw level in the series after the 10-run drubbing at the Basin Reserve in Wellington.

At the close of play on the second day at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch, India are leading by 97 runs with four wickets left in their second innings. Trent Boult picked up three wickets at the fag end of the day and pushed India to the brink of a 2-0 whitewash.