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Australian legend Allan Border is still trying to figure out what is wrong with India's batting maestro Virat Kohli's batting. Allan Border, after whom the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is named, questioned Virat Kohli's shot selection in the ongoing Gabba Test. Kohli got dismissed in the same fashion on Day 3 of the third Test against Australia, as he was chasing a wide delivery and fell prey to Josh Hazlewood. Border said that was a shot Kohli would have left alone in his prime. Border believes that Kohli's struggles may be more mental than technical.
Allan Border questions Virat Kohli's form
Kohli's repeated pattern of chasing wide deliveries and getting caught behind has become a recurring issue in recent times. Despite his past dominance, he has been unable to address this weakness. Kohli joined the crease with India already reeling at 6/2 in the third over. His early dismissal in the eighth over, for a mere three runs, further added to India's precarious position.
"Today’s dismissal, that’s normally a delivery he would have left alone if he was in his best possible form. I’m not sure what’s going on with Virat mentally (and) whether he’s just lost that edge," Border said, as quoted by TimesNow.
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Not only Allan Border but also former England captain Michael Vaughan wasn't happy with Kohli's repeated pattern of dismissal. Vaughan was frustrated by Kohli's tendency to chase deliveries outside off-stump which has plagued his recent performances.
"He’s a player who’s going out there (and) almost trying to get on top too soon. When he plays at his best, particularly in Australia and England when the ball does a little bit more, he just leaves the ball. Most of his dismissals in this series have been balls that he could have left," Vaughan said while speaking on Fox Cricket.
Kohli was dismissed by a bouncer from Hazlewood in the first innings of the Perth Test. However, he bounced back strongly with a century in the second innings. Since then, Kohli has struggled, registering three single-digit scores, raising concerns about his current form.
India in a spot of bother
Talking about the match, Australia, batting first, posted a massive total of 445 runs, with centuries from Travis Head (152) and Steve Smith (101), and a half-century from Alex Carey. Now it Australian bowlers' turn to turn screw on Indian batters as they successfully wiped out visitors' top order, including Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and Rishabh Pant. At the end of the third day, India were struggling at 51/4, with KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma at the crease.
