• Source:JND
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India's star batter Virat Kohli has not been at his best in the ongoing Test series against New Zealand and has scored just 88 runs in the first two matches.

India suffered a huge defeat in the second Test in Pune and ended up losing their first Test series at home after 12 years.

While India lost the match by 113 runs, Virat scored 1 and 17 at the MCA Stadium, continuing his disappointing form with the bat in the longest format of the game.

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Kohli’s numbers in Tests have taken a hit a massive hit since 2020, having notched up only two hundreds in the period.

Amid heavy criticism, Kohli's former India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru teammate Dinesh Karthik has come up with an interesting solution for the legendary batter.

Karthik said Kohli will need to overcome a recurring pattern of dismissals against spin.

“Virat Kohli has not had it easy. The series has not been good to him, three out of four innings, he has disappointed. It’s a recurring pattern where spinners have troubled him, and I think he will go and figure out what he needs to do to come out stronger. He is a man, who is searching for answers. When you reach that level of genius and superstardom, you will be thrown challenges and here is another challenge. India likes to play on pitches that aid spin, what is his game plan?” said Karthik while speaking to Cricbuzz.

Karthik said Kohli will probably need to head back to domestic cricket to find his groove against spin.

The veteran cricketer, who will turn 36 this week, has not featured in a domestic First-Class match since 2012.

“We all know what he is capable of. This series was not meant to be. Like the fans have been saying, he has not done it for a long time and we cannot run away from it. We don’t want to sugarcoat it because we want to be as objective in assessing any player, and any performance. At the moment Virat Kohli’s Test record in the last 2-3 years, has not been great against spin,” said Karthik.

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“What he needs to do is probably go back to domestic cricket and focus on what needs to be done with the current rules of DRS. There is no doubt the left-arm spinners pose a big threat,” he added.

Kohli last scored a Test hundred in the West Indies in mid-2023 and has since played 12 innings while crossing the 50-run mark only on two occasions.