Not going to defend him: Karthik on Kohli's struggle against SL spin

Former Indian cricketer turned commentator Dinesh Karthik did not mince his words while admitting that Indian batters struggled to play spin against Sri Lanka in the recently concluded three-match ODI series. While the Indian team managed to stretch the first game to a tie, they were no match for their Lankan counterparts in the second and third outings, losing the series 0-2. 

Virat Kohli was trapped leg before wicket in all three innings. Kohli scored 24, 14, and 20, unable to find his feet at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, where all three matches were held. 

“In this series… Let's admit it. Be it Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma or anyone else. With a slightly semi-new ball, between overs 8-30, it's hard work,” Karthik told Cricbuzz.  

However, the former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) wicketkeeper-batter also said that failure in Colombo does not mean Indian batters do not know how to handle spin. 

“Nothing to worry about. Not too many pitches work that way, but it's been a tough pitch to play spinners. I'm not going to defend Virat Kohli here, but playing spin here is very hard,” added the 39-year-old. Karthik will become the first Indian to play in the SA 20 after he was picked up by the Paarl Royals. The player with 7407 runs in 401 T20s is also the brand ambassador of the tournament’s 2025 season, starting February next year. 

As far as India’s ODI series loss to Sri Lanka is concerned, it was their first in 27 years. This series also broke the record for most wickets taken by spinners in a three-match ODI bilateral tournament. Spinners from both sides combined took 47 wickets in three matches in Colombo, with 27 of those being by the Lankans.

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