"You're Getting Out...": Gavaskar Points Out Kohli's Huge Technical Weakness

More than Virat Kohli's form, it is his repeatedly similar pattern of dismissals that seems to be a bigger concern for Team India and its fans. In Test cricket, Kohli has habitually got out to deliveries pitched outside the off-stump, while in ODI cricket, the 36-year-old seems to struggle against wrist spin. In fact, five of Kohli's last six dismissals in ODIs have been against wrist spin, with the latest coming in India's Champions Trophy 2025 opener against Bangladesh. Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar analysed exactly where Kohli is going wrong.

Gavaskar stated that it is one particular aspect of Kohli's technique that causes problems for him.

"It is to a great extent due to the fact that the bat face opens up, same thing happens when he's playing against the quicks in Australia. The bat face opening up, looking to play through the covers, opening the face of the bat, that gets him into trouble," Gavaskar said, speaking to India Today.

In India's first match, Kohli got out to Bangladesh wrist spinner Rishad Hossain, having made 22 off 38 balls.

Gavaskar said that Kohli must rectify this technical aspect of his game to avoid getting out in the same manner time and again.

"That is something that he's got to watch out for. A couple of times before he got out, he reached for Rishad, the ball turned, the bat face opened, and luckily the bat face opened, and so there was no nick. So that is something that he'll have to tighten up on now," Gavaskar added.

"I guess if you're getting out to the same kind of bowling, then there is a bit of concern," he said.

Kohli is aiming to become the highest run-scorer in Champions Trophy history during this tournament, in what is his fourth campaign in the tournament. The 36-year-old currently has 551 runs, 240 behind Chris Gayle in top spot.

Kohli first played the Champions Trophy in 2009, before being part of the 2013-title winning team under MS Dhoni. In 2017, Kohli led India to the final where they were beaten by arch rivals Pakistan.

India face Pakistan next in Dubai, in their second Group A game, on Sunday, February 23. A victory for India will almost certainly guarantee qualification to the knockout stage.

Shubman Gill struck a superb century as India beat Bangladesh by six wickets in their opening Champions Trophy 2025 encounter.