Virat Kohli has been the India cricket team’s best batter in the ICC Champions Trophy. In the two biggest matches for the Men in Blue, he managed to score 184 runs. This includes an unbeaten hundred against Pakistan and 84 against Australia in the semifinal. Rightly, he was also the ‘Player of the Match’ in both games. On March 9, when India and New Zealand face off in the ICC Champions Trophy Final, he might be the most important player for Team India.
Virat Kohli’s spin troubles
On a sluggish Dubai pitch, Kohli was slightly troubled by leg spinners Rishad Hossain and Abrar Ahmed. But other bowlers haven’t really troubled him that much. New Zealand has no leggies in their squad. But there is a spinner who might cause severe trouble for Kohli and Team India. The spinner in question would be Mitchell Santner.
Apart from being New Zealand’s captain, Santner has been the best spinner in the tournament as well. He hasn’t been hit out of the park and was the best bowler for the Kiwis in the ICC Champions Trophy opener against Pakistan and the second semifinal against South Africa.
The reason why Kohli might struggle against Santner isn’t just his form. The star batter has had issues facing left-arm orthodox spin for the last couple of years. His average isn’t even 30, and in almost every other innings he faces them, he falls to them.
Virat Kohli vs. left-arm orthodox spin since 2022
| Year | Innings | Runs | Balls | Out | Average | Strike Rate | 4s | 6s | Dot % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 27 | 37 | 0 | – | 73 | 1 | 0 | 37.8 |
| 2024 | 2 | 17 | 14 | 1 | 17 | 121.4 | 2 | 0 | 35.7 |
| 2023 | 12 | 166 | 232 | 5 | 33.2 | 71.6 | 6 | 4 | 48.7 |
| 2022 | 5 | 58 | 84 | 4 | 14.5 | 69 | 2 | 0 | 42.9 |
| Total | 21 | 268 | 367 | 10 | 26.8 | 73 | 11 | 4 | 45.8 |
How Mitchell Santner can choke Virat Kohli’s run flow
Santner’s economy in the tournament has been just 4.85 despite playing in Rawalpindi and Lahore, in matches where 300+ totals were posted in three of the four innings. On a slow Dubai pitch, not only can Santner tie Kohli down. He can suffocate him and the entire Indian batting lineup because of it.
Kohli relies on scoring those singles and doubles. The former Indian captain has scored over 5870 runs in singles alone in ODIs. Santner can stop him from doing what he does best on March 9. In the tournament so far, 13 batters have scored over 140 runs; of those, Kohli has the least number of boundaries (15).
Santner can force him to go for his shots but deny him those singles and doubles. And trap him. Yes, the left-arm spinner doesn’t have the best record against him, but that may not matter in the ICC Champions Trophy.
Virat Kohli vs. Mitchell Santner ODI match-up
| Span | Runs | Balls | Out | Dots | Average | Strike Rate | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-2025 | 58 | 83 | 1 | 35 | 58 | 69.9 | 1 | 1 |
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