Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar spoke about Virat Kohli's ongoing struggles with off-stump deliveries during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
Kohli has struggled to survive in the ongoing five-match Test series against Australia, managing only a 50-plus score so far, and that was an unbeaten century in the first Test in Perth.
However, Virat Kohli's form has dipped since then and the recent Boxing Day Test at the MCG once again exposed his vulnerability against off-stump deliveries. Kohli scored just 36 and 5 in the two innings, hitting off-stump deliveries in both innings at the MCG.
Sunil Gavaskar highlights Viray Kohli's off-stump struggles after Boxing Day Test failure
The recurring issue of getting the ball to slip fielders or the wicketkeeper has troubled Kohli for the past four years and has now become a significant concern for the Indian team, which suffered a 184-run defeat in the fourth Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. (MCG) on December 29.
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After the Boxing Day Test, Sunil Gavaskar analyzed Virat Kohli's struggles and technique, highlighting what went wrong and offering insights into how the master batsman could overcome this persistent flaw. He noted that Virat's footwork is a key issue that bothers him.
According to the former Indian captain, the right-handed batting icon's front foot goes straight down the pitch instead of moving towards the ball, which limits his ability to connect with the middle of the bat and forces him to reach deliveries and leads to dismissals this one.
Sunil Gavaskar was quoted by India Today as saying, “(Kohli's) leg is not going on the pitch of the ball; the foot goes straight to the pitch, not to the ball. If the foot goes more towards the ball, you have a better chance of hitting the ball in the middle. Because the leg doesn't move, you end up getting to the ball and that's what happened.”
Meanwhile, the legendary Indian batsman slammed India's top order for repeated failures in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, barring Yashasvi Jaiswal. He blamed India's top order for India trailing 1-2 after the Boxing Day Test against Australia in Melbourne.
Gavaskar pointed out that the lower order cannot be blamed for their lack of contributions when the top order falters Down Under. He remarked: “It all depends on the selectors. Contributions that were expected did not come. It is the highest level that must contribute; if the upper order is not contributing, why blame the lower order?
India found themselves in this position because of the top order: Sunil Gavaskar
Further, Sunil Gavaskar pointed out that senior players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had the crucial responsibility to deliver on Day 5 during India's tough chase at the MCG to keep the streak alive for the New Year Test but they failed to face, and the team faced a crushing defeat.
Gavaskar signed off by saying, “The Sens haven't really made the contribution they should have; all they had to do was go out today and live to fight another day in sydney. It's just that the top-order didn't contribute and that's why India found themselves in this position.”