Virat Kohli's comeback to Test cricket has been far from ideal. He registered scores of 6 and 17 in the first Test against Bangladesh, which was also Kohli's first game in the longest format this year. While Kohli had been a regular feature in white-ball formats this year, he skipped the five-Test series against England between January-March for personal reasons. And while Kohli hasn't had the perfect start to the Test season, the recent events during India's net practice session at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur seem to highlight his continuing battle with his old weaknesses.

According to Indian Express, Kohli struggled significantly against both, spin and pace bowling. The star batter took on India's premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah for around 15 deliveries, in which he was beaten on four occasions. Initially, Kohli appeared comfortable, dispatching a few trademark strokes, including a cover drive that had the handful of onlookers cheering. But then Bumrah landed one on Kohli’s pads, leading to a confident shout of “saamne laga hai (You are plumb)” from the pacer, which Kohli acknowledged.

The contest heated up further when Bumrah shortened his length, inducing an edge from Kohli. Bumrah then switched to a straighter line, trapping Kohli twice more, both times with the ball lobbed after hitting his inside edge. Teasing the former captain, Bumrah smiled and quipped, “Aakhiri wala toh short leg ka catch tha (The short leg would have caught that last one).”

Against India's formidable spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel, that Kohli's struggle became even more evident. His battle with spin bowling has become well-documented in recent years; facing Jadeja, Kohli looked to counter by playing inside-out, but he missed the shot three times in a row, appearing visibly frustrated. Later in the session, Axar Patel bowled Kohli out, which was the batter's final bit of play.

Kohli's weaknesses exposed again

Kohli’s technical issues in red-ball cricket, particularly against deliveries outside the off-stump, have plagued him in recent years. His weakness exposed again during the first Test against Bangladesh when Hasan Mahmud dismissed him for just six, exploiting that same off-stump line. In the second innings, it was Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s turn, getting Kohli with a sharp spinning delivery. The dismissals have sparked concerns about whether the Indian talisman can shed the demons that have followed him for some time.

Kohli’s struggles also point to a deeper concern for the team, as India need one of their best batters in prime form for the gruelling Test season ahead, which includes a home series against New Zealand and the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. Hence, as India gear up for the second Test, Kohli's performances will be under even more scrutiny.

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