
India’s star batter Virat Kohli is often regarded as one of the most complete players in modern white-ball cricket. This claim is proved by his impressive averages of 48.69 in T20Is and 58.18 in ODIs. Although Kohli has retired from T20Is, but his dominance in ODIs remains continue, being the first to reach 50 centuries in the format.
However, over the years, a noticeable weakness has emerged in Kohli’s game—his struggles against wrist spin. This issue has been evident since 2021, and despite Kohli’s reputation for turning weaknesses into strengths, his difficulties with wrist spinners have persisted. Irfan Pathan, a former Indian cricketer, pointed out, “He has been struggling against spin, especially, and I think one thing he can do personally as well is to try and be a little more aggressive because I think the strike rate against spin has come down as well.”
In T20Is since 2021, Virat Kohli has played 38 innings, remaining unbeaten 10 times, but he has been dismissed by wrist spinners five times. In ODIs, he has played 40 innings, remaining not out five times and falling to wrist spinners five times.
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Virat Kohli’s Performance in ODIs: A Closer Look

In ODIs, Virat Kohli’s performance against spin has been inconsistent. In 2021, he played three innings, getting dismissed twice by spin, with a dot ball percentage of 34.8% and a strike rate of 92.1. The following year, in 2022, he played six innings, with five dismissals to spin, a dot ball percentage of 44.6%, and a strike rate of 79.6. During the World Cup year of 2023, Virat Kohli played 19 innings, getting dismissed six times, with a strike rate of 85.9 and a dot ball percentage of 39.7.
Virat Kohli vs. Adil Rashid: The Battle Continues

In the second ODI against England in 2021, held at MCA in Pune, Kohli scored 40 runs against spin, facing the combined efforts of Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali. England’s captain, Ben Stokes, kept the pressure on Kohli by rotating the spinners. Kohli faced 46 balls from the spin duo, managing a strike rate below 100. Eventually, he was dismissed by Rashid, having scored 66 off 79 balls. Rashid has dismissed Virat Kohli nine times across all formats, including three times in ODIs, twice in T20Is, and four times in Tests, making him one of the bowlers with the most dismissals against Kohli in international cricket.
Virat Kohli vs. Tabraiz Shamsi: Another Tough Challenge

Virat Kohli faced a similar challenge when India toured South Africa in 2022. In the first ODI, played on January 19, Kohli came in at number three and scored 41 runs against the spin trio of Aiden Markram, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Keshav Maharaj, using up 53 deliveries. Shamsi eventually dismissed him, with Kohli scoring 51 off 63 balls.
Fast forward to India’s tour of Sri Lanka in August 2024, where the stakes were not as high for Kohli after India’s victory in the T20 World Cup 2024. In the first two ODIs of the series, Kohli was dismissed LBW by wrist spinners Wanindu Hasaranga and Jeffrey Vandersay, scoring 24 off 32 and 14 off 19, respectively. The struggle continued in the third ODI, where Kohli was dismissed LBW by Dunith Wellalage after scoring just four runs off six balls.
Kohli’s Approach to Spin in IPL and International Cricket
Virat Kohli’s struggles against spin are not limited to international cricket. Since IPL 2021, he has faced 104 balls from wrist spinners, including googlies and doosras, and scored 116 runs. Against left-arm spinners, he has scored 77 runs in 64 deliveries, with strike rates of 111.5 and 120.3, respectively.
With the Champions Trophy 2025 approaching and the possibility of spin-friendly pitches, Kohli needs to rediscover his 2016 form, characterized by his bottom-hand dominance and half-arced bat swings that allowed him to sweep spinners effectively.
Virat Kohli’s recent approach shows a shift towards low-risk, high-intensity batting, anchoring the innings both while chasing and setting targets. This approach was evident in his innings during the T20 World Cup 2024 final, where he scored 76 off 59 balls. Despite the criticism over his strike rate, Kohli remains focused on winning games for his team, saying, “All the people who talk about strike rates and me not playing spin well are the ones who love talking about this stuff. But for me, it’s just about winning the game for the team. And there’s a reason why you do it for 15 years—because you’ve done this day in [and] day out; you’ve won games for your teams,” Kohli remarked after an RCB game.
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