Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott didn’t mention Virat Kohli’s name even once, but he made his point about the Indian legend quite clear ahead of their T20 World Cup Super Eight stage encounter in Barbados. Despite winning the Orange Cap in IPL 2024 with 741 runs for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Kohli hasn’t replicated that form in the World Cup so far. As an opener, he scored just 1, 4, and 0 in the group stage matches against Ireland, Pakistan, and the USA.

In all those matches, Kohli was dismissed by getting caught, struggling with deliveries wide of the off stump. Against Ireland, he edged a ball to the thirdman fielder. In the next match against Pakistan, he couldn’t control a wide fuller-length delivery and scooped it straight to the point fielder. The angled delivery from left-arm seamer Saurabh Netravalkar led to his downfall against the USA.

Deliveries outside the off stump have always troubled Kohli; it’s no secret. Afghanistan can exploit this weakness effectively, especially with Fazhalhaq Farooqi, the tournament’s leading wicket-taker and a left-arm seamer, in their ranks. It’s a no-brainer that they will target Kohli in that channel with the new ball.

Afghanistan Coach points out Kohli’s weakness without mentioning his name

When asked about their plans against Kohli and his dismissals in the World Cup, Trott deftly sidestepped the question.”As an opposition, the fact that Virat hasn’t got too many runs in this particular tournament, does that make your planning any better? Are you still going by the reputation of the batsman the fact that he’s been so consistent over the years, or by his current form in this particular tournament? Does that planning make any difference to the number of runs scored by one of the opposition team members?” a reporter asked Trott in the pre-match press conference.In his response, Trott didn’t mention Kohli’s name even once, despite the question being about the former India skipper.

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The former England batter said, “We always analyze the last couple of innings to identify any trends when planning against the opposition. We also consider the player’s history and past experiences of playing against him. So, everything is taken into account, not just recent form. However, if there’s been a lack of form, we do take notice and look for ways to use that information or exploit it, aiming to maintain that trend.”