Kaif Questions Kohli Struggles as Outside Off Stump Weakness Persists

India’s cricketing fraternity has been abuzz with discussions about Virat Kohli’s long-standing weakness outside the off-stump. The former India captain, currently playing his first Ranji Trophy match since 2012, has struggled with deliveries in that corridor, a flaw that has plagued him for years.

The game had all the big stars playing. For Uttar Pradesh, there was Suresh Raina, Kaif, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Praveen Kumar. Talking about Delhi, they had Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Ashish Nehra, and Ishant Sharma. I could not believe that our match against Delhi in 2012 was Kohli’s last Ranji Trophy match. The weakness he had earlier is still there. The way Bhuvneshwar Kumar got him out twice, I cannot believe that the same weakness is still there. The way he was getting out in Australia, he got out in the same way in that Ranji match.

Mohammad Kaif, who was part of the Uttar Pradesh team during Kohli’s last Ranji match, expressed disbelief that the same technical issue persists. Kaif recalled that in the 2012 match, where UP played against Delhi, Kohli was dismissed twice by Bhuvneshwar Kumar in a similar manner. In that game, Delhi, led by Virender Sehwag, faced a strong UP side featuring Suresh Raina, Praveen Kumar, and Bhuvneshwar. Kohli managed scores of 14 and 43 before UP secured a six-wicket win.

Did you know that I was on the field when Virat Kohli played Ranji Trophy last time? Here’s the story from that game.#CricketWithKaif11 pic.twitter.com/eRTE0xesGh

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) January 29, 2025

This issue also impacted Kohli’s performances in the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where he fell frequently to pacers. Despite his immense talent, the 35-year-old batter has yet to completely overcome this flaw, making it a critical area of concern ahead of India’s upcoming international fixtures.