Virat Kohli is going through a lean patch with the bat in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Series 2024-25. He has scored 126 runs in the 5 innings he has played so far in the series.
100 out of the 126 runs came in one innings where he scored an unbeaten hundred at Perth. Apart from that, his highest score in an innings in BGT 2024-25 is 11 runs.
He was dismissed for just 3 runs during India’s first innings in the 3rd test at the Gabba. He went chasing a ball in the 6-7th stump line and was caught behind off Josh Hazlewood’s bowling.
Kohli’s habit of chasing deliveries outside the off-stump has been a big concern throughout his career. He had a really tough time against English pacer James Anderson a few years back and it has again become a headache for the former Indian captain. Former Indian captain and one of the greats of the game, Sunil Gavaskar has also said that Virat Kohli needs to be patient with the bat.
Virat Kohli’s struggles against outside off-stump deliveries
Kohli seemed to have overcome this issue a couple of years back but the opposition teams have again gotten the better of him by bowling the fourth-fifth stump line, particularly when he’s new at the crease.
He has gotten off to a similar fashion in the ongoing series. Virat can take the inspiration from his idol Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin was also getting out to outside off-stump deliveries against the Aussies in the Australian tour back in 2003-04.
But he overcame that issue by completely avoiding any shots to deliveries on or outside the off-stump. He scored an iconic 241 runs at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) and didn’t play a single cover drive in that innings. This shows the resilience that Sachin had and Virat too can take inspiration from that innings.
Virat Kohli too can avoid playing rash shots outside off-stump, especially in the initial phase of his innings. He is a very important player for the Indian side with the bat. Fans as well as the team management will back him to come back stronger in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
