Virat Kohli’s off-stump weakness was once again exposed by veteran left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat during the practice match ahead of the West Indies tour 2023.
Virat Kohli’s off-stump weakness was exposed by Jaydev Unadkat
Virat Kohli’s off-stump weaknesses aren’t showing any signs of improvement, as the India stalwart departed again while chasing a delivery.
Kohli’s weaknesses were exploited by Australia in the World Test Championship final, was once again exposed behind the stumps during an intra-squad practice game.
The left arm Seamer Jaydev Unadkat got rid of Kohli, leaving the fans disappointed. Some of the batters, like Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal, made a mark on the occasion.
The Indian team also included some domestic club cricketers along with its 16 players for the two-day training practice game as the first game begins on July 12.
Kohli’s problems against deliveries on the off-side are well explained after left-arm seamer Unadkat exploit early on his spell.
The left-armer’s angle is an awkward one and Unadkat bowled one outside the off-stump, and India’s No. 1 batter, caught by a local fielder positioned at the first slip.
Kohli’s dismissals in Test cricket where canny Unadkat hit the right line and length to get an outstanding triumph. The idea was a match simulation keeping all the top-order batters in one team while the other group was loaded with bowlers.
Most of the batters retired after playing around 50 to 75 balls with Jaiswal doing his cause no harm with a 54 off 76 balls before taking a break. Kohli’s failure in the game was less arguable than the Indian team’s practice session.
Jaiswal expected to Open for India?
The 20-year-old Jaiswal made a strong point for himself to open for the batting order of India with Rohit Sharma. Jaiswal displayed his skills with elegant shots, including the spells from Mohammed Siraj and a square cut-off of Jaydev Unadkat.
As the decision on making Jaiswal ahead of the opener, Shubman Gill had other suggestions for head coach Rahul Dravid and Skipper Rohit on considering grooming the Young Mumbai batsman as an opener.
Gill could potentially take on the role of the middle-order batsman, specifically at no.3. Despite being known for his consistency by batting in the middle order during his days in U-19 and India A while the team played under the coaching of Dravid.
Gill’s ability to adapt to different positions was proved when he scored a magnificent double hundred of 204 while batting in the no.5 order against West Indies.
With the current batting order, Virat Kohli is set to occupy the no.4 spot, followed by Anjikya Rahane at no.5, Ravindra Jadeja at No.6, and Bharath at no.7. This arrangement appears to provide a strong stability to the India batting order.
India vs West Indies Tour 2023
The Indian team is scheduled to tour West Indies from July – August to play 3 matches ODI series followed by 5 matches T20I series till August 7. Indian cricket team who currently playing in England will play their last ODI match on July 17.
The India tour of West Indies 2022 will kickstart with an ODI match on July 22 in Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad. India will play a total of 8 matches against West Indies where India will play a total of 3 ODI matches and 5 T20I matches.
India will make its much-awaited return to the field after the finals of the World Test Championship 2023. The match will kick off the West Indies Series with Two-Test match series. Despite losing the WTC, the selectors have only added young players giving a maiden Test call-up.
As the players have reached the host’s ground, they are about to start the preparations soon. With its current performance, West Indies would not be much of a challenge for Team India and they are expected to win Test and ODI with ease. But West Indies shall put some competition in the T20I series against India.
