Glenn McGrath wants Australian bowlers to target an 'emotional' Virat Kohli, 'If they go hard at him, if he gets in the fight...'

Glenn McGrath feels Virat Kohli is under pressure and a few low scores at the start of the Test series will give Australian an edge over him.

Sports Tak

• Sun • 17 Nov 2024

Virat Kohli of India presents Glenn McGrath his pink Test cap during day three of the fourth Test match between Australia and India at Sydney Cricket Ground on January 8, 2015.

Virat Kohli, Glenn McGrath

Highlights:

Virat Kohli has six Test centuries on Australian soil.

Kohli is yet to score a Test century in 2024.

India's star batter Virat Kohli may not be in good form but he has stupendous record on Australian pitches. Kohli hasn't had a good run in red-ball cricket of late scoring less than 100 runs against New Zealand in the historic loss in Test series. Ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, legendary Australian pacer Glenn McGrath said that the hosts have enough ammunition to put India under pressure.

“Without a doubt, especially after coming off a 3-0 loss against New Zealand, you’ve got plenty of ammunition to back yourself up,” McGrath told CODE Sports.

“So put the pressure on them and see if they’re up for it.”

While Kohli has often benefitted from altercations on the field while batting, McGrath wants the Australians to make him fight with his emotions even though it is a double-edged sword.

“If they go hard at him, if he gets in the fight with emotions, there’s a bit of chat out there, who knows he might sort of lift,” McGrath added.

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“But I think he’s probably under pressure a little bit, and if he has a couple of low scores to start with, he could really feel it.

“I think he’s quite an emotional player. When he’s up, he’s up, and when he’s down, he sort of struggles a little bit.”

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Kohli's record

It will be interesting to see what kind of approach Australian players adopt against Kohli. The 36-year-old averages over 54 in Australia with 1,352 runs from 13 Tests featuring six centuries and four fifties.

Kohli has a good record in Perth. He is the only Asian batter and second overall to score a Test century at the venue.

How Kohli fare in match simulations

Ahead of the series opener in Perth, Kohli was troubled by short deliveries and edged one to slip cordon off Mukesh Kumar's bowling. However, he practiced half an hour in the nets and then returned to the pitch again. This time he looked more in control.