IND v WI 2022: Sunil Gavaskar warns Virat Kohli against his habit of playing short deliveries

Virat Kohli was dismissed by Alzarri Joseph in the first ODI of the three-match series.

Virat Kohli | GETTY

India batter Virat Kohli could survive only 4 balls in the first ODI against West Indies and scored 8 runs before getting out. He was dismissed by Alzarri Joseph in the 14th over, after Rohit Sharma, who got out on the first delivery of the same over.

Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar observed Kohli's batting and suggested him a change for more success. Kohli got out to Joseph in the first ODI match off a short delivery after attempting a pull shot.

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Gavaskar, in conversation with Star Sports, said that he saw similar tactics from South Africa in the ODI series. They tried to bowl short deliveries to Kohli, as the India batter always looks to play them.

“I though that even the South Africans seemed to be looking to do in one-day cricket maybe not so much in Test cricket, to try and bounce Virat Kohli. Because he is one of those batsman who does not really duck. He loves to play the hook shot, which is one where you cannot really be in control,” he said. 

“In this instance, he does not get it right. He picked the ball which bounced a little bit more and then he anticipated so it wasn't quite of the middle of the bat. It went off the edge and the catch was taken. So I feel he should be prepared to face a little bit more in the remaining matches," he added.

Meanwhile, Kohli has now become the second cricketer in ODI history to score 5000 ODI runs in India. He is also the fastest Indian cricketer to score 5000 ODI runs in India, surpassing the India great Sachin Tendulkar. 

(With Star Sports Inputs)

 
 

By - 07 Feb, 2022

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