India’s Virat Kohli is widely regarded as one of the finest batters of the modern era. He has more than 26,000 runs and 78 centuries to his name in international cricket.
Kohli is currently plying his trade in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 at home. He has been in terrific form with the bat in the marquee event, amassing 442 runs from seven innings at an average of 88.40, including one hundred and four half-centuries.
Recently, a video went viral on social media, in which former Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik was seen demonstrating why Virat Kohli and Babar Azam struggle against the off-spinners.
Little did Malik know that he would be subjected to endless trolling and roasting for his technical analysis of Kohli’s batting.
During one of the post-match shows on A Sports, the topic was brought up again as one fan stated: "Shoaib Malik, thank you for teaching Virat Kohli how to bat; now please teach acting to Amitabh Bachchan as well."
Shoaib Malik was taken aback by the negative reaction. He reacted with a slight laughter before explaining his views.
"Duniya mein na koi batter aaya hai, na hi aayega jo kisi jagah pe phasta na ho. Beshaq woh 1 lakh run bana ley. (There is and hasn't been a single batter in the world who doesn't have a weakness, even if he scored 1 lakh runs). You guys didn't get my point. All I said was that any batter, whose feet moves across, faces troubles facing spin. If you want examples, there are so many greats; you can ask anyone," Malik said.
"When your feet go across while facing the spinner, the moment the ball comes in, he/she will not find it easy. I didn't say that he doesn't know how to play. I said that he gets a little uncomfortable. That's all. Had you seen the entire show, you would have known that I always praise him. He is one of the greats," he added.
Earlier, Shoaib Malik did a detailed analysis of the playing style of Kohli and Babar, highlighting that both batters struggle due to the position of their front leg.
"If we look at Babar Azam and Virat Kohli both, we can discern that their discomfort when facing off-spinners is the position of their feet. Specifically, when the front leg (left leg) of a right-handed batsman moves in a crosswise direction, off-spinners pose a significant challenge. Both Babar and Virat face this issue," Malik had said.
"What sets them apart is that Babar's vulnerability to this situation is limited to facing a select few spinners. In contrast, Virat encounters this challenge with almost every spinner he confronts. Virat, however, alleviates this pressure by frequently resorting to aggressive shot-making. If Babar can incorporate a similar approach and start playing more aggressively, he will be better off."
