New Delhi: Indian cricketing legend Sunil Gavaskar said Virat Kohli would regain his form during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy which begins from November 22 in Perth. Gavaskar said given the past record of the India’s star batter on Australian pitches, he should be among runs soon.
“Because he hasn’t got runs against New Zealand, he’ll be very, very hungry. Even in that Adelaide Test match, where in the second innings we got all out for 36, in the first innings, Kohli got 70 plus, if I recall correctly, before being run out. He’s consistently performed at Adelaide, so it’s a familiar ground for him. And before Adelaide, it’s Perth, where he played one of the finest Test centuries in 2018-19. A terrific hundred. Having performed on these grounds, he’ll feel that extra bit of confidence. Of course, you need a bit of luck at the start, but if he gets off to a good start, he will get big runs,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.
Expectations have been building around Kohli as his dry spell continues to be the talk of the town during the build-up of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The worrying signs have been silently hiding in the shadows since 2020. The ‘Chase Master’ has faced an elongated lean patch in the longest format of cricket.
In the past four years, Virat has garnered 1,838 runs from 34 Tests at an average of 31.68, comprising just two centuries and nine fifties.
Champion batter
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly also backed Kohli to deliver in Australia despite his lean phase with the bat.
“Absolutely, he is a champion batter. He has had success in Australia in the past. He scored four centuries in 2014 and scored a hundred in 2018 as well. He will want to make this series count, and he will also know this could be the last time he is touring Australia to play Test cricket,” Ganguly said while speaking on Revsportz.
Virat’s love story with Australian conditions has come to silence Virat’s critics twice, in 2012 and 2014. After a concerning West Indies tour in 2011, where he averaged a mere 15.20 after scoring a paltry 76 runs in five innings, his future looked bleak.
He looked all set to be dropped from Tests after his first two Tests in Australia went downhill. But he stored his best in the next two Tests, scoring 44 and 75 in Perth.
Kohli finally delivered in Adelaide with his maiden Test century, a classic 116 in 213 balls laced with his trademark strokes and swagger, which revived his career.
2014 was a similar story, with Virat finding his groove in a series that was nothing short of a fairytale after a string of bleak performances. With questions being raised over his future yet again, the series is massive in terms of making or breaking his career.
With his past form not raising much inspiration, Ganguly feels Kohli will enjoy conditions in Australia and expects him to deliver against competitive opposition.
“So, in every sense, this is a massive series for Kohli. I don’t want to read too much into the New Zealand series. The pitches did not allow good batting. In Australia, he will enjoy the conditions. There will be good pitches. I am backing Virat to deliver in Australia in this series,” he added.
Ahead of the series opener in Perth on Friday, Kohli has ramped up his preparations with the entire team. There were concerns about his fitness after Australian Media reported that Kohli went for scans.
But during last Friday’s intra-squad match simulation, Virat didn’t appear to be in discomfort. He executed his trademark cover drive. However, on 15, he edged a Mukesh Kumar delivery to the second slip. He later spent about 30 minutes in the nets.
During his second outing, Kohli faced a barrage of short deliveries from Prasidh Krishna and Nitish Reddy. He seemed troubled by a few balls but showed no signs of discomfort, batting for an hour to finish on 30.
