Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has recently made a strong claim that every bowler in the world knows how to get Virat Kohli out. Kaif also argued why India has been unable to find a way to get Travis Head out despite the latter having weaknesses.
Kohli hasn’t been at his best recently and his poor form has continued in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy as well. He scored a hundred in the Perth Test but was completely out of touch in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide where he registered two low scores.
Contrasting to Kohli’s run of form, Australia’s Travis Head has continued his good run against India. Head, who has constantly troubled India in the recent past, slammed a counter-attacking hundred in Adelaide to take Australia to a strong position.
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Mohammad Kaif calls Virat Kohli’s weakness outside off stump an “open secret”
While speaking in a video shared on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Mohammad Kaif spoke about Virat Kohli’s weakness outside off stump and claimed that even a bowler who plays just two or three Tests a year knows how to get him out.
Kaif was relating to Scott Boland who played his first Test since Ashes 2023 in Adelaide recently. Boland accounted for Kohli in the second innings when he had him nicking off his outside edge to Alex Carey.
“A bowler like (Scott) Boland who plays only two-three Test matches in a year. He comes, he knows exactly where to bowl to Virat Kohli. Just pith it outside the off stump, Kohli will fiddle with it. He will nick it and get out caught behind. This is an open secret,” Kaif said in the video.
Rohit form? Virat and Outside off deliveries? Bumrah Workload? Siraj Behaviour?
Australia v India, BGT Report Card#CricketWithKaif11 #bgt2024 pic.twitter.com/aHFSUkTrUP
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) December 9, 2024
Virat Kohli’s numbers in BGT 2024-2025
Virat Kohli registered scores of 7 and 11 in Adelaide as his old problem surfaced. He was dismissed by the left-arm seamer Mitchell Starc in the first innings when the latter had Kohli nicking to Steve Smith at slip. Boland removed Kohli in the second innings.
In the first Test, he scored a brilliant century in the second innings after registering a duck in the first innings. However, he found it difficult against the moving ball in the day-night Test in Adelaide.
Mohammad Kaif reveals how to bowl to Travis Head
Mohammad Kaif also expressed surprise why India hasn’t been able to find a way to get Travis Head out yet. He argued if the bowlers can exploit the weakness of Kohli, then why can’t the Indian bowlers exploit Travis Head’s weaknesses?
“If Boland knows how to trap Kohli then why can’t we do the same for Travis Head? If his weakness is outside the off-stump, why don’t we consistently bowl there? Every batsman has weaknesses,” Kaif noted.
Kaif further advised the Indian team to adopt the same strategy of bowling consistently outside off stump to Travis Head as well. He called for an attacking strategy to be used against Travis Head.
“Everyone knows Virat Kohli’s weakness. You bowl it outside the off-stump and he will nick it. You’ll need to adopt the same strategy against Travis Head as well. You need to move ahead with proper planning. You need to attack him from the first ball; you need to make a fixed plan to exploit his weakness, and then you can get him out,” he claimed.
The five-match Test series is currently level 1-1 with three more Tests to be played. The third Test will be played at Gabba, Brisbane from December 14. Both teams will be under pressure as the race for the WTC final is tightening up.