Star batsman Virat Kohli shouldn’t be scared to use his feet and play aerial shots against the spinners when the field is up, according to former India head coach Ravi Shastri.

Shastri made the comment after Kohli was removed by spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz on Friday at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium during the second innings of the first Test match between Bangladesh and India. The ball pitched on the middle stump line trapped Kohli, who was getting in a nice rhythm, in front of the wickets. After scoring 17, Kohli left the field because he declined the DRS, which subsequently revealed that the ball had edged his bat before hitting the pads.

“Especially in the past two to three years, he has (reached out to spinners). But he has also amassed a huge run total. You’d want to see him utilize his feet more often. Reach the ball’s pitch and most likely use the sweep. It’s essential that you adapt to the current circumstances and don’t hesitate to take risks when the opportunity arises. Rather than letting him keep bowling at you, you should attempt to do anything to spook the spinners. When he scored a lot of runs, that’s what he did a lot,” Shastri said during the game analysis.

Additionally, a few of the songs that India has performed. It hasn’t been simple. In addition, I am aware of a few dismissals, such as Shubman Gill in the first innings, when he was caught down leg wide. Funny people being fired. He’ll be aware of it. That’s for certain. Not a single batter can claim not to recall. Of course, you figure out a way to solve the problem. Decide what is most effective for you and stay with it,” he said.

For the last two years, Kohli has struggled to score a lot of runs in Test cricket on home ground. He only managed six runs in the first innings. In the past six Test matches in India, the former skipper has only managed one century. But last year at Port of Spain, he scored his last century in a Test match against the West Indies.

In 14 Test matches played in Asia since 2021, Kohli has amassed 654 runs at an average of 29.72 from 23 innings, including one century and two half-centuries. During this time, he has played fewer Tests total, scoring only 1669 runs at an average of 32.72 from 51 innings, with eight half-centuries and two hundreds.

As India gets ready for the next series against Australia and New Zealand, where his expertise will be essential to the team’s success, Kohli will be keen to raise these figures.