Virat Kohli’s evolution against spin will face a tough test at Chepauk © BCCI/IPL If ever asked to pick a venue from the available IPL options to bat on, Chepauk is unlikely to feature high on Virat Kohli’s list. In 13 visits to Chennai in this tournament, he has accumulated only 383 runs at an average of 29.46. But it’s his strike rate of 111.01 that paints a clearer picture. Kohli, like the RCB sides he’s featured in, handles pace and true bounce better than the spinners that Chepauk so dotingly nurtures. Last year, Kohli made a step up and began taking more risks against spin, particularly with the use of the slog sweep to good effect. His 29-ball 47 in RCB’s win over CSK in a must-win game was especially noteworthy as the pitch suddenly and briefly offered sharp turn after a rain break. Kohli ended IPL 2024 as the tournament’s highest run-getter, but it was his improved returns against spin that stood out. From striking spin at exactly a run-a-ball in 2021, he accelerated to 137.08 last year, nearly doubling his boundary percentage from three years prior. Virat Kohli vs Spin Year Runs BF SR Wks Ave Dot% Bnd% Sweep% 2020 220 202 108.91 2 110 27.1 6.43 1 2021 134 134 100 3 44.66 36 8.95 2.2 2022 107 99 108.08 4 26.75 31 8.08 1 2023 238 211 112.79 5 47.6 25.4 9.95 1.9 2024 292 213 137.08 5 58.4 28.5 15.02 10.6 2025 24 20 120 0 – 20 10 20 A year on, the 36-year-old Kohli faces perhaps the biggest test of his evolution in Chennai, against a three-pronged spin attack featuring R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Noor Ahmad. According to RCB’s batting coach and mentor Dinesh Karthik, he is well equipped to handle it. “He has batted well in the recent past against spin, especially in white-ball cricket,” Karthik said on Thursday (March 27), the eve of the game. “So, I don’t want to go too deep into stats. I am not very aware. But if I remember, in the [T20] World Cup finals, he got runs where it mattered. And apart from that, in the Champions Trophy, he had a good tournament, second-highest run-getter [for India]. And that doesn’t come without playing on spin. “So, I believe right now, he is batting as well as he has ever done. And you speak to him even today, just now as I came out… he wanted to work on one more shot. At this point of time, to work on one more shot, tells you the hunger that he has in his mindset. He wants to just improve and keep raising the bar. So, he is a special player. And at this point of time, the way I see it, he is batting as confidently and as well as he has ever done in IPL.” On a less spin-friendly surface in Kolkata, Kohli began this season on a positive note, scoring 24 off the 20 balls he faced against spin. Notably, he attempted the sweep once every five balls against Varun Chakaravarthy & Co. The one shot he hasn’t played in the IPL since 2016 is the reverse sweep, though it’s unclear if that was the shot Karthik was referring to. Meanwhile, CSK appear to have got their desired type of home pitches after spending a couple of seasons emphasising the need to reclaim their home advantage. “If it does turn, great,” Stephen Fleming said, before adding that they were happy to play on any kind of surface. “It’s difficult. We don’t have much influence, really, on what comes up. Each pitch has a different characteristic. We’ve found that. So we’ll work really hard from ball one to try and work out what we have, trying to get us a team that’s pretty well-equipped for all conditions because that’s been the key to playing here,” Fleming said. “We do find it’s a flat wicket. We’ve got guys that are good at bowling in those conditions. If it does turn, great. I’m sure we won’t get a green seamer, so the other two are what we’re looking for,” he added.
