While announcing the Test squad for the third and the fourth match of the Border-Gavaskar series, India relieved KL Rahul from the vice-captaincy post due to his consistent flop show with the bat. Since then skipper Rohit Sharma has been without his deputy, however, he was seen seeking advise from senior players like Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli whenever required. But in the morning session on Day 5 of the fourth Test against Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday, Kohli turned India's virtual vice-captain as he was seen helping Rohit and Axar Patel in devising a strategy in a bid to rattle Australian batters.
In a video which is doing rounds on Internet, Kohli was enthusiastically giving inputs to Axar and Rohit as they were seen discussing the areas where the ball needs to be pitched.
Watch the video here…
The fourth match between India and Australia ended in a draw which propelled India to their second consecutive World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final which will be held at the Oval from June 7 to June 11. Australia already booked their WTC final berth after defeating India by nine wickets in the third Test.
The draw in the fourth Test also meant India sealed the Border Gavaskar 2023 series 2-1. Batting juggernaut Kohli ended his century drought in the longest and oldest format on Day 4 of the series decider. Scoring his first Test ton since November 2019, Kohli guided India to a massive 1st innings total against Steve Smith and Co. in the Ahmedabad Test match. Kohli and Shubman Gill's century remained the highlights of the fourth Test riding on which India gave a perfect retort to Australia's 480 with a colossal 571. After Gill's cracking 128 off 235, Kohli belted a spectacular 186 off 364 to steady India's boat after early jitters and handed India a crucial 91-run lead. In the second innings, Australia posted 175/2 riding on 90 off 163 from Travis Head after 78.1 overs till third session which steered the match towards draw.
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