IPL 2022: Ravi Shastri Wants Virat Kohli To Work On This Shot To Tackle The Spin Challenge

Former Indian cricketer Ravi Shastri was impressed with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter Virat Kohli’s fluent knock against Punjab Kings in their first game of IPL 2022. Kohli reinstated his batting position at No.3  with RCB as new skipper Faf du Plessis opened the innings alongside youngster Anuj Rawat.

Kohli scored an unbeaten 41 off 29 balls at a strike rate of 141.37, the former RCB skipper just hit one four and a couple of sixes during his 118-run stand with du Plessis, who played a spectacular knock of 88 from 57 balls after struggling to time the ball in the early part of the innings.

I liked most about Virat Kohli was his fluency: Ravi Shastri

Shastri, who happens to share a great camaraderie with Kohli since his coaching stint with the Indian team in 2014, wants the former RCB skipper to consider playing the sweep shot. Kohli is one of those players who still play conventional shots in modern-day cricket.

“The thing I liked most about Virat was his fluency,” Shastri told ESPNcricinfo about Kohli’s knock against Punjab Kings.

“He was prepared to use his feet against the spinners. Now he has to bring out the sweep. It’s a very important shot. He doesn’t play it much, but he should, with freedom.

Get a spinner and keep playing the sweep: Ravi Shastri to Virat Kohli

Shastri advised Kohli to face spin bowlers in the nets in order to improve his chances of playing the sweep shot. Kohli’s woes against spin bowling is something that the RCB batter will have to overcome and Shastri believes that the sweep shot could be the solution to dominate the turners.

“The four days you get in the nets, he should get rid of Raghu, and the fast bowlers – he has played them a lot in the last one-and-a-half to two years. Get a spinner and keep playing the sweep. Because if he uses his feet and starts to play the sweep, any spinner will think twice, thrice about what to bowl,” Shastri advised.

In the match against KKR on Wednesday, Kohli drove a couple of boundaries to Umesh Yadav on his arrival at the crease but nicked behind the stumps in the very next over of the same bowler. RCB won the match by three wickets as Dinesh Karthik and Harshal Patel helped them chase in the final overs.

Also Read: IPL 2022: Ravi Shastri Believes Virat Kohli Is Displaying Signs Of Regaining Clarity Of Thought