Sunil Gavaskar, legendary India batter, stated that Virat Kohli’s ongoing slump in form is reminding him of the 2014 lean patch he faced in England. This comes after Kohli failed to cross single digits in the ongoing third BGT 2024 Test in Brisbane on day 3.
Josh Hazlewood bowled a perfect nagging line and length outside off-stump and Kohli succumbed to the enticement of playing a drive away from his body and was out caught by keeper Alex Carey for 3 runs. This was the 11th time Hazlewood dismissed Kohli, the joint-most any bowler got the Indian batter.
When Kohli toured England, Gavaskar thought he was a young man who couldn't make the same mistakes ten years later.
"Kohli's dismissal is being discussed because, in five innings so far, he's been dismissed four times in similar fashion. It reminds me of his troubles in England in 2014. Back then, he was relatively new, and Anderson made the ball swing and talk, which made it tough for him. He was chasing deliveries outside off-stump - exactly what he did today. That's the reason why India found themselves in a position like this. If he had stayed, India could have been in a much better position. That's the reason why India found themselves in a position like this," Gavaskar exclusively told India Today.
During India's 2014 tour to England, Kohli's shortcomings against off-stump deliveries were first made clear. Despite scoring just 34 runs in 10 innings against England, he made an incredible return during the Australia trip that same year.
Gavaskar brought up the famous Sachin Tendulkar's 241 against Australia in the 2004 Sydney Test. Sachin did not choose to play any driving shots during his famous innings after being removed beyond the off-stump three times before this one.
"Kohli can look at Tendulkar's approach. Sachin didn't play anything on the offside and focused on playing straight or towards the onside. Maybe Kohli can take a leaf out of that book. Tendulkar has always been someone he admires, and this could help him get bigger runs in the next two matches,” Gavaskar added.
Gavaskar criticized the Indian batting for not showing intent to stay at the crease as they found themselves in a troubled position of 51/4.
"The intent to score runs has to be there. Batting is all about scoring runs, but it's also about staying at the crease. If you stay at the crease, the runs will automatically come. A couple of the shots we saw today, in fact, three of them, were pretty forgettable. The remaining batters must learn from those mistakes and aim to get to 246,” he concluded.
