India's star batter Virat Kohli's return to international cricket did not turn out to be as expected. Kohli got out for an eight-ball duck, chasing a delivery outside off stump bowled by left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc. As Kohli became part of the top-order collapse, former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar said that the batter faced a different challenge on the bouncy track of Perth.
"The discussion will always be around playing square of the wicket in Australia. With the extra pace, bounce, and lateral movement on offer, you want to let the ball come to you, play it late and behind the body. That is slightly different from what Virat has traditionally done here. He is someone who likes to take charge, walk towards the bowlers, and play in straighter areas. Today was a different challenge," Nayar said on Star Sports.
How Starc was one step ahead with definite plans for Kohli
Barring the Test century in Perth, Kohli struggled in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia, edging the ball behind the stumps to lose his wicket. Nayar feels that Starc was one step ahead and Australia had definite plans against him for the ODI series opener. He also backed Kohli to make the necessary tweaks and bounce back in the second ODI at Adelaide Oval on October 23.
"Mitchell Starc seemed one step ahead; he did not go for the full and fast deliveries we are used to seeing, but instead, hit the pitch hard and went across the batter. Yes, there were definite plans against Virat. In white-ball cricket, unlike the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where there was more grass and movement, this was about variation in pace and angles. I am sure Virat will go back, study his videos, and look at adjustments, maybe playing deeper in the crease or later towards third man could be better options. We saw him work on that during the BGT, and I'm confident he will reflect, adapt, and come back with better plans to deliver the runs we all expect from him," Nayar added.
Comprehensive win for Australia
In a rain-curtailed match, India managed to post 136/9 on the board in 26 overs. The DLS target was reduced to 131. Australia lost early wickets but Mitchell Marsh stayed unbeaten for 46 and had help from Josh Philippe (29-ball 37) and Matt Renshaw (24-ball 21) as Australia finished the run chase in the 22nd over with seven wickets in hand.