BGT 2024: “It is well documented,” Aakash Chopra weighs in on Virat Kohli’s struggles with deliveries outside the off-stump

The age-old problem of fishing outside the off stump has led to Kohli’s downfall in Australia series.

By Salman Anjum - 17 Dec, 2024

The age-old problem of fishing outside the off stump has led to Virat Kohli’s downfall in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. He got out while chasing a wide delivery from Josh Hazlewood during India’s first innings of the Brisbane Test.

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra also weighed in on Kohli's perennial problem of getting dismissed on outside the off-stump deliveries.

Chopra mentioned that while the star batter had previously overcome this problem, it has resurfaced to haunt him once again.

"There is no doubt that there is a problem. It is well documented. The problem outside the off-stump comes repeatedly and starts troubling you. When he had problems on the England tour of 2014, he made changes in his batting, started taking a massive stride, and changed his stance as well," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

"He has changed his game a lot. However, towards the end of his career, the same problem is coming again. He commits a slight error of judgment against deliveries outside the off-stump and ends up playing them. In fact, it's not that only. He was surprised by a bouncer and then closed his bat early and almost got caught and bowled off a top edge," he added.

Apart from his second innings hundred (100) at Perth, Virat Kohli has struggled for runs in this Australia tour so far, returning with scores of 5, 7, 11 and 3.

Aakash Chopra advised Kohli to draw inspiration from Sachin Tendulkar’s iconic knock of 241* against Australia in Sydney without playing a cover drive during the 2003/04 series.

"You obviously know that he is not at the top of his game. So what is the road ahead? I think there are two things. One, I remember the Sydney Test match after Sachin Tendulkar was repeatedly getting out to deliveries outside the off-stump. Can Virat Kohli do that? He will have to do that because if he keeps getting out like this, the vulnerability is exposed even more," Chopra remarked.

By Salman Anjum - 17 Dec, 2024

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