India’s star batter Virat Kohli failed to leave a mark on his much-anticipated return to international cricket after seven months on Sunday (October 19).
Featuring in the first ODI against Australia at Perth, Kohli bagged his first duck in the 50-over format Down Under.
Australia’s left-arm quick Mitchell Starc got the better of Kohli, who perished once again while chasing a big drive away from his body. The thick outside edge of his bat flew to backward point, where Cooper Connolly grabbed an excellent acrobatic catch.
Ahead of the second ODI at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday (October 23), former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has said that Virat Kohli will not allow the failure in the series opener to haunt him for long, and would not tinker around too much with his game either.
“Whatever time I have spent with him, he knows how to play in one way only, with passion and aggression. He will back himself. There will be a lot of discussions about him playing deliveries outside the off-stump. He will go back and visualise. He will meditate and come into his zone,” Nayar said on Star Sports.
“He will try to get back the thought process of the old vintage Virat Kohli. He will try to get that mindset. He will try to play with freedom. The result is not in your hands. He will pay attention to the process. Whatever he has been known for, he will try to bring that Virat to the ground,” Nayar explained.
Abhishek Nayar also weighed on Kohli’s challenges against the Australian pace duo of Starc and Josh Hazlewood, and suggested that a good start from openers Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma will help the former India skipper settle in nicely.
“I would want him to win, but I always believe that you don’t prepare for failure but for success. Whomever you ask, they will say that when Virat comes, the attempt will be to bowl back of the length outside off-stump, with short balls in between. Virat and the opposition know that,” Nayar said.
“It’s about execution and handling pressure. It’s about the start you get. If Virat comes to bat after Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill have scored 70 runs in the first 10 overs, the case is different. If he comes at the start, the case is different,” Nayar remarked.
