[Exclusive] Monty Panesar advises Indian media to let Virat Kohli play without ‘added pressure’

Virat Kohli’s persistent struggle against left-arm spinners since 2019 doesn’t seem to cede. The same was evident during IPL 2023 and the beginning of IPL 2024 while his struggle in ODIs against Sri Lanka is the latest example of it. Post COVID-19, left-arm spinners got the better of him in 14 matches in limited-overs cricket, which is concerning. His struggle against wrist-spinners is also something that needs to be addressed.

However, former England international Monty Panesar believes that there is no reason to worry about Kohli’s form against spinners. He feels that the Indian media has put him under tremendous pressure. The 42-year-old mentioned that the star India batter does not need to change his style while dealing against spinners and expects him to come out on top soon. 

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“Sometimes, it happens when a batter struggles against a bowler in a series. I think Virat shouldn’t change anything about his stance or style while dealing with spinners. I don’t think there should be any kind of pressure on Virat Kohli,” Panesar told exclusively to CricTracker.

“He is a big player, a superstar, he should be given that freedom. In India, there’s immense pressure from the media on Virat and maybe it is because of the pressure, he is struggling against spinners. So, just let him play without any added pressure. I just hope he plays his best cricket in the remaining time of his career,” he added.

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Meanwhile, Kohli scored 99 runs in the four innings against Bangladesh in the recently concluded two-match Test series. He is currently on a break but will return in the three-match Test series against New Zealand, starting October 16 in Bengaluru.

He has shown his class in the series against Bangladesh but failed to convert any of his starts into something substantial. That is one area the Delhi-born needs to address, as the upcoming series against New Zealand and Australia can determine whether the Rohit Sharma-led side will feature in their third straight World Test Championship finale or not.