“It’s nothing to worry about” – Dinesh Karthik on Virat Kohli’s failures in 3-match ODI series vs Sri Lanka

India’s former wicket-keeper bat Dinesh Karthik has opened up on Virat Kohli’s mundane performance in the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. Kohli returned to action after tasting victory in the T20 World Cup but could not deliver against the Island country.

The talisman, who has a fantastic ODI record against Sri Lanka, could only manage 58 runs in three matches at an average of 19.33. Surprisingly, Kohli was dismissed LBW in all three games of the series against the SL spinners.

Dinesh Karthik said on Cricbuzz, “It’s been a tough pitch to play spin in this series, let’s admit that first. Be it Virat Kohli, be it Rohit Sharma, or be it anyone else. With the slightly semi-new ball between overs about 8 to 30, it’s been hard work. It’s nothing to worry about.”

Karthik added these were difficult pitches to bat on, especially against the spinners as there was a lot of assistance.

“Not too many pitches work that way, but it’s been a tough pitch to play spinners. I’m not going to defend Virat Kohli here, but I can tell you that playing spin was very hard,” he added.

Speaking about the positives after the series defeat, Karthik reckons Rohit Sharma’s aggressive batting and Riyan Parag’s bowling were the takeaways for the visitors. Rohit top-scored in the series with 157 runs in three matches at an average of 52.33 and a strike rate of 141.44. 

Furthermore, Parag returned with impressive figures of 3-54 in the nine overs he bowled on his ODI debut. Earlier, Parag also returned with 3-5 in the opening T20I of the series.

“The biggest positive is the fact that India played all-rounders and bravely attacked. So that is something I really like. No. 2 Riyan Parag, in his limited opportunities, is showing what he can do with the ball, which is again a small plus for us.”

“Other than that, I think Rohit’s batting is itself. The way he starts in powerplay. He is making batting look too easy in the series. Batted beautifully. These were the positives for me from this series,” he added.

India will next take on Bangladesh in two Test matches and three T20Is.