Virat Kohli will be very, very hungry for runs after his poor run of form against New Zealand recently, said Sunil Gavaskar. His words came ahead of the first Test between Australia and India in Perth that begins on November 22.
Kohli's form has been a problem, with an average of 22.72 in six Test matches this year. Kohli scored only 91 runs in six innings of the recently concluded series against the Kiwis, which the visitors won 3-0.
However, Kohli averages a phenomenal 54.08 in Australia, and Gavaskar believes that the batting prodigy will be looking for big runs against the top Australian side.
"Because he hasn't got runs against New Zealand, he'll be very, very hungry. Even in that Adelaide Test match, wherein 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 in 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," said Gavaskar on Star Sports.
Apart from Gavaskar, former India cricket Sanjay Manjrekar also spoke on how the Australian bowling attack spearheaded by captain Pat Cummins and featuring Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon might target Kohli.
"I think Virat knows exactly what's going to be planned. They'll start with that line outside the off-stump and gauge what his mindset is. These days, he often leaves balls outside off and looks to drive anything pitched up. Australia might also try to cramp him for room and attack his body since he likes to get forward.
This was a tactic New Zealand used effectively. If he's focused on balls outside off stump, bowlers like Josh Hazlewood might target that typical Vernon Philander line on middle stump. Australia will test various strategies, and Virat Kohli is fully aware of that," Manjrekar said.
