“Virat Kohli’s greatness has been reduced at Chepauk”: Harbhajan Singh ahead of CSK vs RCB IPL 2024 opener.

Virat Kohli has undoubtedly been one of the standout performers in the Indian Premier League (IPL), but he’s yet to hit top form at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

With a remarkable tally of 7263 runs from 237 IPL matches, including seven centuries and a strike-rate of 130, Kohli’s prowess with the bat is undeniable. However, his performances at Chepauk haven’t matched his overall statistics, where he averages 30 and has a strike-rate of 111.

Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh emphasized the significance of Kohli finding his rhythm when Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) lock horns with defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the opening match of IPL 2024 on March 22.

Kohli’s recent record against MS Dhoni’s team raises some concerns, having been dismissed in the powerplay overs three times in his last five innings. Harbhajan stressed the importance of Kohli spending substantial time at the crease.

Harbhajan said “The greatness of Virat has been reduced in terms of his batting display in Chennai. It not easy to bat over here for the opening batter because of the tennis ball type bounce.CSK have Ravindra Jadeja in their squad, who bowls stump to stump. He gets the odd ball to turn and that makes batting a bit difficult in Chennai.”

“Virat will have to bat for 20 overs to make a match-winning contribution against CSK. Scoring hundreds at Chinnaswamy doesn’t guarantee success in Chennai,” added the former spinner

Despite accumulating 985 runs in 30 matches against CSK, including a highest score of 90, Kohli will aim to deliver a more impactful performance at Chepauk this time around.