Virat Kohli received backing from former India captain Sunil Gavaskar to score a century in the upcoming BGT 2024 third Test in Brisbane. Kohli had a poor outing in second Test in Adelaide, despite a century in the first match in Perth.
Gavaskar noted that there is an added incentive for Kohli to reach three figures in the third Test of the series, which begins at the Gabba in Brisbane on Saturday, 14 December.
Kohli’s century in Perth was his 7th in Australia in Tests, leading to him surpassing Sachin Tendulkar on the elite list of visiting batters with the most centuries Down Under.
Sunil Gavaskar stated that Kohli has the opportunity to join him and former England captain Alastair Cook in an elite group of visiting hitters who have made a century at each of Australia's five major Test venues. Kohli has already scored hundreds in Adelaide, Perth, Sydney, and Melbourne.
"If he scores a century in Brisbane, it will be great. It's an incentive as well as you know that you join a club if you score a century in Brisbane, the one to score a century everywhere in Australia. After that, going forward he will play in Melbourne and Sydney, where he has scored centuries. So he can score centuries there as well. It means he can score four centuries in the series," Gavaskar told Star Sports.
All of Virat Kohli’s three dismissals in the ongoing BGT 2024 were on deliveries outside the off-stump. Despite scoring a century in the previous Test, Kohli appeared to lack confidence and struggled against the pink ball.
Gavaskar acknowledged Kohli's troubles with the off-stump line, stating that it is a regular challenge for batsmen, especially against Australia's disciplined bowling.
"Even Bradman never had a series where he scored in every Test match. You are bound to fail in an odd Test. I hope his failure in Adelaide will be offset by strong performances in the remaining three Tests. With the slight issue he’s having outside the off-stump — which every batter experiences at some point — if he plays cautiously to those deliveries, the runs will come," Gavaskar added.
Kohli gave the players a motivational pep talk before they hit the nets in Brisbane. Kohli looked poised against deliveries outside the off-stump, leaving confidently and with perfect footwork.
