New Delhi. Sunil Gavaskar on Monday asked India superstar Virat Kohli to take inspiration from Sachin Tendulkar’s memorable 241-run knock against Australia in Sydney in 2004 and look to end his consistent struggles against balls outside the off-stump. Avoid playing drives. Kohli once again failed on the rain-affected third day of the Brisbane Test when Josh Hazlewood had him caught behind the wicket at a personal score of three.
Gavaskar told ‘Star Sports’, “Kohli only needs to look at his hero Sachin Tendulkar, the way he (Tendulkar) maintained his composure and control over his off-side game and scored 241 runs in Sydney. He did not play any shot on the off side or at least in cover because earlier he was getting out while trying to play in cover.
Suryakumar Yadav, Ajinkya Rahane’s stormy innings, Rajat Patidar’s innings ruined, Mumbai won in the final.
Sunil Gavaskar further said, “The shots he played were largely straight or on the side. Similarly, Kohli should control his mind and his game. If the ball is on off stump, (he should think) I will play defensively. I will not try to score runs on this. He has such a great bottom hand game that he can play in that area, straight or towards midwicket.
Let us tell you that by the end of the third day’s play, India had lost four wickets for 51 runs. Kohli has played innings of 05, 100 not out, 07, 11 and 03 runs so far on the current tour. In the first innings of the third test, he was out after scoring only 3 runs.
Tags: Sachin tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Team india, Virat Kohli
FIRST PUBLISHED : December 16, 2024, 8:30 PM IST