Virat Kohli conqueror Adam Zampa reveals Aussie plan for Indian star
Confidence brimming after dismissing Virat Kohli for the fourth time in a year, flamboyant legspinner Adam Zampa has revealed the Aussies’ plan for the Indian superstar.
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Adam Zampa has been backed to continue his demolition of Virat Kohli because Australia believes the Indian superstar is vulnerable against leg-spin as soon as he walks to the crease.
Zampa’s 4-126 from 97 balls to Kohli has filled the South Australian with confidence against the batsman that Aaron Finch rates as the best ODI player of all time.
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“We’ve found that Virat finds leg-spinners hard to line up early in his innings,” Zampa said last night as he was peppered with Kohli questions by local journalists.
“He’s such a great starter, even the other day he was 16 off 14, how much energy he brought to the crease, his running between the wickets, some of the cover drives he played off the quicks.
“It’s important to try and have a game plan to him, so we figured out that it would be good to start with leg-spin to him. It might be different next game.
“I’ve got him out four times in the last year, so it’s nice to have that confidence to bowl to him at the start of his innings.”
Kohli has only fallen to spinners 55 times from 243 ODIs, making Zampa’s record even more impressive. Zampa has also 2-40 (39) against Kohli in T20s.
But Zampa noted that Kohli boasted an ODI strike-rate of 129.9 against him and that he was “one of the toughest guys I’ve ever had to bowl to”.
The attacking leg-spinner said that while Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) and Kuldeep Yadav (India) were more skilful tweakers, his “strong character” helped deliver prized wickets.
Kohli walked away from last year’s series against Australia stunned at Zampa’s overflowing self-belief and aggressive mindset, despite the boundaries he conceded.
“To be a wrist-spinner in one-day cricket in the middle overs is not easy at all,” Zampa, 27, said.
“It’s probably one of the hardest formats. From my point of view character is important.”
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Finch – who has told his players how special it would be to secure back-to-back series wins in India for the first time since 2009 – said Zampa was the perfect match-up for Kohli.
“You always look at that match-up and try and get (Zampa) into the game pretty soon after (Kohli’s in),” Finch said.
“Zampa’s variations have been subtle but brilliant.
“He’s bowling straight, which is really important. If you miss your length straight you’re still in the game, but I think if you miss your length wide good players are not missing out.
“They’re going to punish you. His length probably got a touch full overall, but it’s nice and straight and you can control one side of the ground a lot more when you’re straight.”
Originally published as Virat Kohli conqueror Adam Zampa reveals Aussie plan for Indian star