AB de Villiers brutally assassinates Virat Kohli after lacklustre show vs New Zealand

India's recent struggles against spin bowling have drawn a lot of attention from around the world. Not only the former Indian cricketers but the whole cricketing fraternity is surprised by the way Indian batters are struggling against the turning ball. AB de Villiers is no exception as he spoke about India's recent performance against spin.

Virat Kohli, who is regarded as one of the best batters to have played in this generation, too has been found wanting on several occasions. He was out to the left-arm spin of Mitchell Santner on both the innings of the Pune Test.

It was not just Virat Kohli, but every other Indian batter struggled against the turning ball in Pune. Spin has always been India's strength in both batting and bowling. It was shocking to see Indian batters struggling in their conditions to their strengths.

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AB de Villiers' blunt take on Virat Kohli and Indian batters' struggles

While speaking on his YouTube channel, AB de Villiers spoke about India's performance in Pune. AB de Villiers also shared his views on Indian batters' struggles against spin bowling and claimed that a good spin bowler can threaten any opposition, no matter how strong a batting line-up is.

"When you go to India, Indian players are the best players of spin, it is perceived to be, doesn't always mean that it is a fact that all the batters are the best players of spin in the world," AB de Villiers said.

"When you get a turning wicket and you get a good bowler, no matter how good of a player you are, you will be under pressure. If the batter has got the mind and skill and the ability, you can score runs in any conditions in the world," he added.

"Indian batters can play spin" - AB de Villiers

The legendary South African batter further added that the Indian players are good players of spin but the opposition teams have worked the way how to get their wickets. He cited the example of Virat Kohli by saying that the star Indian batter has scored runs in South African conditions despite playing mostly on spinning surfaces.

"There is nothing wrong with the Indian players, they are incredible players, all of them and they can play spin. But I think a lot of teams have caught up and that perception of when you go to India, those times are gone. The 90s and early 2000s are gone, when you are just a walking wicket in certain conditions. Look at Virat Kohli, he has scored 100s in South Africa as well," AB de Villiers noted.

Indian batters had a poor match, especially against spin bowling. Kohli was expected to fire and bail his team out of trouble but he was dismissed twice for low scores. In both the innings, he was dismissed by the left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner.

AB de Villiers speaks on the Pune pitch

Talking about the pitch, AB de Villiers felt that India took a big risk by preparing a turning surface that spun from the first day. He mentioned that the turning wicket in Pune brought part-timers like Glenn Phillips in the game as well.

AB de Villiers stated that New Zealand put runs on the board in the first innings which paved the way for an incredible win. In reply, Indian batters struggled in the first innings and the home side conceded a lead of 103 runs.

"Well, they lost the toss in the second Test. I think they took a big risk by really making sure that the wicket turns a lot from start to finish. With that, when you play against a street-smart team, guys like Glenn Phillips, no one thought of him as a spinner, but fiery spin right at the wickets quick, doesn't matter if you are a part-time spinner, you are in the match," AB de Villiers said.

"Especially when you have batted first and got the runs, the pressure is on the team batting second. That is a risk that India took by making a dry wicket and they wanted to play New Zealand on their terms," he added.

Mitchell Santner led the way for New Zealand in this match. The left-arm spinner bowled beautifully to vary his lines and lengths throughout the match. He finished with 13 wickets and was adjudged the Player of the Match.

New Zealand are now 2-0 up in the three-match Test series. The third and final Test of the series will be played at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. India will be aiming to collect some crucial points for the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.