New Delhi, March 5 Bowlers often struggle to tie Virat Kohli down in ODI cricket, and according to Australian spinner Ashton Agar, one of the key reasons is his unmatched ability to rotate the strike.
Speaking after India's semi-final victory in the Champions Trophy, Agar described Kohli’s innings of 84 as a "masterclass" in game management, highlighting how his ability to find gaps and keep the scoreboard moving makes it nearly impossible to build pressure.
"That’s the frustrating part about bowling to him," Agar said on ESPNcricinfo’s Match Day show. "It’s not just the damage he does with boundaries—it’s the fact that you can’t build pressure on him. You never really feel like you’re on top of him unless the ball is really spinning. And you don’t get a lot of pitches like that in one-day cricket."
Kohli’s 84 off 98 balls was the backbone of India’s chase as they overhauled Australia’s 264 with four wickets in hand. More than the strokeplay, it was his ability to keep the scoreboard ticking that frustrated the Australian bowlers.
Kohli’s innings was a masterclass in running between the wickets. Of his 84 runs, 64 came from singles and twos, a testament to his ability to keep the innings flowing without taking unnecessary risks. Agar pointed out that Kohli’s technique against spin, especially his ability to place the ball perfectly, makes him one of the hardest batters to bowl to.
"He has this fantastic ability to hit your best ball—the top of middle stump, slightly spinning away—by holding the bat’s face slightly longer than others do. He opens it at the last second and hits it in the cover-point gap. He’s probably the best in the world at doing that, and it’s very difficult to build pressure on him."
Against Australia’s leg-spinners Tanveer Sangha and Adam Zampa, Kohli was clinical, scoring 35 off 33 balls against the pair. Though he eventually fell to Zampa, his work was already done by then, putting India in a commanding position.
For a period, Kohli had struggled to rotate strike against spin, but former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar observed that his footwork and shot selection were back to their best.
"There was a time when he couldn’t rotate strike against spin as well as he does against pace. But today’s innings showed that he’s put that issue behind him," Manjrekar said. "His ability to play off the back foot and find gaps was the best we saw in this game."
Former India captain Anil Kumble also praised Kohli for his control in run chases, emphasizing how he makes tricky targets look easy.
"He rarely makes a mistake," Kumble said. "Especially in run chases, he’s totally in control. He absorbs pressure brilliantly and never looks flustered."
With this knock, Kohli continued his dominance in ICC knockout matches. It was his third 50-plus score in Champions Trophy semi-finals and his fifth in ICC knockout games overall. He now sits just one fifty away from equaling Sachin Tendulkar’s record of six 50-plus scores in ICC knockouts.
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