Virat Kohli's ongoing struggles against left-arm orthodox spinners came to the fore once more during the Asia Cup Super Four clash against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
In a twist of fate, young spinner Dunith Wellalage denied Kohli an easy time on the very pitch where the star India batter had scored a century just the previous night.
Kohli attempted to flick a short-length delivery, but it gripped the surface unexpectedly. His lack of control led to his dismissal as the ball landed straight into the hands of Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka.
Wellalage's dismissal of Kohli served as another stark reminder of the Indian batter's difficulties facing left-arm orthodox spinners in ODI cricket since 2021.
In the 159 deliveries he has faced against them, Kohli has managed to score only 104 runs at an average of 13 and a strike rate of 65.4. Tuesday's dismissal echoed his previous eight dismissals to left-arm spin.
However, Kohli wasn't the sole victim of Wellalage's prowess on the night. The 20-year-old spinner achieved his maiden 5-wicket haul, single-handedly dismantling the formidable Indian batting lineup. He secured the prized wickets of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, and Hardik Pandya.
