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Ravi Shastri said Virat Kohli can turn around his poor form and prosper during the upcoming five-Test Border-Gavaskar in Australia
Virat Kohli has a superb record in Australia. (Getty Images)
Former India captain and head coach Ravi Shastri backed Virat Kohli to back to scoring runs in Australi during the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Kohli has been going through a rough run across all formats over the last few months. The 36-year-old star batter has scored just one half-century and averaged only 21.33 across five Test matches against Bangladesh and New Zealand since the start of the year. Such has been his lean patch that Kohli has dropped out of the top 20 ICC Men’s Test batting rankings.
But Shastri has warned Australia and said Kohli is back in the country where he loves to bat and score runs.
“Well, the King is back in his territory. That’s all I will tell them,” Shastri said on The ICC Review.
“When you’ve earned that title after your exploits in Australia, it will be on your (opponent’s) mind when you go out to bat.”
Shastri was referring to Kohli’s phenomenal performances in Australia, which include a fighting century in Adelaide in his first-ever Test tour in 2011/12, a staggering 692 runs from four Tests during the 2014 tour, and an exceptional 123 in Perth during the 2018/19 series when he captained the side.
In 13 games in Australia, a country he’s toured since 2011, Kohli has amassed 1352 runs at an average of 54.08, including six centuries and four fifties.
He went on to clarify that if Kohli can maintain his composure, play at his own rhythm, and resist the urge to be in a rush – runs will come.
“Your juices are flowing, you’re charged up. It’s again a case with Virat. You want to see calmness because at times you are over-eager to get out there and throw the first punch,” said Shastri on the ICC Review show.
“But I think that calmness in the first half an hour where he gets out to bat or in the first three innings of the series will be extremely important. If he can be calm and play the game at his own pace rather than being in a hurry, I think he’ll be fine,” said the former India captain and head coach.
The 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy will see India and Australia play Test matches in Perth, Adelaide (pink-ball match), Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney from November 22 to January 7, 2025. It will also be the first five-match Test series between India and Australia since 1991/92.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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