ICC CWC 2023: Which Australian bowlers could trouble Virat Kohli?

Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India]: As India locks horns against Australia in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup, all eyes will be on star India batter Virat Kohli, who loves to play against the five-time world champions no matter what format and over the years has been Men in Blue’s go-to man for big stages.

India and Australia will lock horns in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday. India will be looking to lift the trophy for the third time while the Aussies will be looking forward to making it their sixth title win.

Virat has a fantastic record against Australia in ODIs. In 48 clashes against Aussies, he has scored 2,313 runs at an average of 53.79, with eight centuries and 13 fifties in 46 innings.

It would not be surprising if Virat once again takes a giant jump in front of over 1 lakh fans at the stadium after scoring a match-winning century or breaks another record against the mighty Aussies.

Virat is also the highest run-scorer in the tournament, with 711 runs in 10 matches at an average of over 101 with three centuries and five fifties.

But there are two bowlers who could push Virat to his absolute limits, force him into a shell and get his prized wicket, i.e., the pacer Josh Hazlewood and spinner Adam Zampa.

Virat has an extremely weak record against Hazlewood. Hazlewood’s pace, line and length have unsettled him really well. Virat and Hazlewood have faced off in eight innings and have scored just 54 runs against him in 88 balls.

54 of these balls have been dots. Virat has barely unleashed his big hits against the pacer, smashing him for only three fours. The rest of his runs have come through strike rotation.

Hazlewood has dismissed Virat five times in eight innings. The batters’ average against him is a poor 10.20 and the strike rate reads an underwhelming 57.95.

Virat’s record against Zampa is far better. In 13 innings, he has scored 254 runs at an average of 50.80. Virat has faced 232 balls against Zampa, 70 of them dot balls. Virat has smashed Zampa for 20 fours and two sixes overall. The rest of his runs have come through strike rotation, mostly singles. Virat’s batting strike rate against Zampa is above 109.

Though Virat has dominated Zampa with the bat, Zampa has dismissed him five times, the most any spinner has dismissed the Indian star batter. The battle between these two in-form players will be interesting.