Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden has called for Virat Kohli to resist the urge to hit the ball outside the off stump and called upon the example of one of the finest innings played by Sachin Tendulkar during the 2003-04 Border Gavaskar Trophy. Barring Kohli’s unbeaten century in the second innings of the first Test at Perth, the 36-year old has struggled with the bat and has constantly been caught with the ball outside the off-stump. Hayden believes the track at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the venue for the Boxing Day Test, will be suitable for batters and backs the Indian great to come back to form if he can resist the urge to slash at the ball outside the off-stump.
“There could have been magnificent wins, there could have been losses, there could have been spinning conditions—I mean, you can list off a hundred different areas where Virat Kohli, over his magnificent career, would have batted. But in Melbourne, he’s going to have a good batting track. What he does need to do is find a way to continue staying at the crease. Flashing outside the off-stump is something that he’s going to have to resist,” said Hayden to Star Sports.
Hayden went on to recall one of the greatest Test innings played by Sachin when the fiery Australian bowling attack of Brett Lee, Andy Bichel, and Jason Gillespie targeted the same areas in hopes of finding the outside edge. What followed was an incredible display of resilience as the ‘Master Blaster’ went on to score an unbeaten 241, an innings laced with 33 boundaries but none of them came in the cover region.
“And I suggest – he gets in line with the ball a bit more and looks to play down the ground a little bit more… I know he’s a magnificent cover driver, but so was Sachin Tendulkar, and he put it away for a day. I sat in the gully licking my lips, thinking, you know what, this is magnificent, stubborn batting. I didn’t look like getting a catch that day, and yet I felt like I was in the game that entire series.
“Sachin put away the cover drive, worked his way into the innings, hit off his legs beautifully, took on the spin, and addressed the areas of concern. He put a big cross through them and said, ‘Not on my watch today.’ Virat Kohli has got that personality, and I’m sure we’ll see it in Melbourne,” he added.
The ongoing BGT is perfectly poised for a blockbuster finish with India and Australia tied at 1-1. India’s top order has struggled heavily in the second and third Test and the side will be heavily relying on Kohli’s experience and brilliance if they are to win the series in Australia for an unprecedented third consecutive time.
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