Virat Kohli is one of the greatest all-format batters ever. Virat Kohli has dominated some of the world’s best bowlers like Malinga, Mitchel Johnson, Dale Steyn, etc in extremely under pressure in the most difficult conditions.
In all three formats, Kohli has a great record against left-arm pace.
- Tests: 787 runs, 52.5 avg
- ODIs: 1468 runs, 47.4 avg, 97.8 strike rate
- T20Is: 521 runs, 43.4 avg, 137.8 strike rate
Kohli has been run out in ICC knockout matches by players like Wahab Riaz (2011), Mitchell Johnson (2015), Mohammad Amir (2017), and Trent Boult (2019). Take note of the fact that they all bowl fast with the left arm. Because of this, people think he has trouble with this kind of bowling.
In light of this, let’s take a look at three left-arm pacers who have consistently posed a challenge to the former Indian captain:
1 Test – Neil Wagner
Over the past decade, New Zealand’s success in Test cricket has been largely attributable to Wagner’s contributions. Alongside Trent Boult and Tim Southee, he was important for a very powerful speed assault – especially in home circumstances where the ball swings a ton.
In seven innings, Wagner has thrown out Kohli three times and given up 73 runs. The fact that he has made it difficult for the Indian batting master to score runs has been the most notable aspect. He bounced him out of the Kanpur Test in 2016 with a bouncer.
2 ODI – Junaid Khan
Junaid Khan made his global presentation for Pakistan in each of the three organizations in 2011. He supplanted Mohammad Amir – who was restricted for match-fixing. In 76 ODI matches, he took 110 wickets at an average of 29.24, a strike rate of 32.4, and an economy rate of 5.36, which is quite impressive.
Kohli had Junaid Khan’s full support. He was bowled three times by Khan in 24 balls over five innings, and he only gave up three runs. He took advantage of Kohli’s weakness against the moving ball.
3 T20 – Ashish Nehra
The Gujarat Titans’ current head coach, Ashish Nehra, was also an excellent T20 bowler. In a nearly 15-year international cricket career, he reinvented himself after several injuries. In 132 matches, he took 162 wickets at an economy rate of 7.70 and an average of 22.54.
Nehra also defeated Virat Kohli six times in 54 deliveries and only gave up 60 runs. He was a problem, especially when they were up against each other for the first three innings.