"Even a bowler who plays only twice a year knows how to dismiss Virat Kohli," said a former Indian cricketer before the Gabba Test. Kohli was reminded of his struggles with deliveries outside the off stump. Former Indian batter Mohammed Kaif questioned why Travis Head's weaknesses weren't being targeted the same way.
Kaif pointed out that bowlers, regardless of their experience, know where to bowl to Kohli. His dismissals against fast bowlers often follow a similar pattern. Kohli frequently gets out to balls moving away outside the stumps, which has become a common sight. Initially, his stance at the crease was blamed, but now it's more about his forward press. He seems to get stuck in a position where he cannot adjust properly to good-length balls, which could be handled better if he didn't commit to the front foot so
early.
Take Kohli's dismissals in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as an example. In the first innings in Perth, he got out to a ball that bounced awkwardly and hit his gloves. While it did bounce unexpectedly, was it really unplayable? Not by Kohli's usual standards. The main issue was his forward press. On Perth’s fast pitch, he didn’t have enough time to move his hands out of the way.
In the second innings, the conditions were better for batting, and Kohli made the most of it. Against the tired Australian bowlers, he played brilliantly, scoring a century — his 30th in Test cricket.
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