Virat Kohli during the match between India and Sri Lanka in Asia Cup 2023© AFP
Virat Kohli was unable to score big during India’s Asia Cup 2023 Super 4 match against Sri Lanka on Tuesday and his dismissal once again revealed a worrying trend when it comes to the star date facing left-arm orthodox spinners. Kohli could manage to score just 3 runs before he was foxed by Dunith Wellalage as the ball stopped on the way to the bat and he could only manage to mistime it straight to Dasun Shanaka. Wellalage’s dismissal of Kohli was just another reminder of his rough patch against the left-arm orthodoxy in the ODI format since 2021. Facing 159 deliveries, the Indian batsman has scored 104 runs at an average of 13 and a strike rate of 65 ,4.
The shot he fell to on Tuesday was reminiscent of his way of firing on eight previous occasions to left-arm spin.
However, Kohli was not Wellalage’s only victim of the night. The 20-year-old spinner secured his maiden 5-wicket haul by single-handedly dismantling a formidable Indian batting line-up and claiming the prized wickets of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya.
He provided Sri Lanka with much-needed breakthroughs, dismissing Shubman Gill for 19. Gill was completely befuddled by the spin as the ball rattled onto his off-stump. After picking up Kohli’s wicket, Wellalage struck three more times.
Skipper Rohit was bowled over by a ripper from the left-armer and ended up being clean-bowled in the 53rd over.
He claimed his fourth wicket of the match after removing KL Rahul and brought up his first five-wicket haul after scalping all-rounder Hardik Pandya.
(With ANI inputs)
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