Before the series begins, legendary Australian pacer Glenn McGrath has issued a word of caution to his successors.
Virat Kohli hasn’t been in the best of form with the bat recently. During the upcoming Australia tour, the Indian batting maestro will naturally be under pressure. However, McGrath knows all too well how dangerous Kohli can become when his pride is wounded. That’s why the Aussie legend has advised the current players not to provoke Kohli.
In June, Kohli played a match-winning innings of 76 runs in the T20 World Cup final, capping off his T20 career with a trophy. Since then, however, he hasn’t managed a fifty in 13 innings across Tests and ODIs.
In five home Tests against Bangladesh and New Zealand, Kohli averaged just 21.33. During the New Zealand series, where India was whitewashed, he scored only 93 runs across six innings. In his last 12 Test innings, he has managed just one fifty.
For the first time in nearly a decade, Kohli has fallen out of the top 20 in the ICC Test rankings for batsmen. This year, he has scored only 58 runs in three ODIs, with a top score of 24. In T20s, he has managed 180 runs in 10 matches at an average of 18. The numbers clearly reflect that Kohli is far from his best.
However, Kohli’s stats in Australia remain impressive. In 13 Tests there, he has scored 1,352 runs at an average of 54.08, including six centuries and four fifties. Apart from India, Australia is the only country where Kohli has scored more than two centuries.
India’s former all-rounder and head coach Ravi Shastri is optimistic about Kohli finding his rhythm in Australia. Recently, he remarked, “The king has returned to his kingdom.”
Kohli’s passion for cricket is unmatched. He always gives his all for the team’s victory. Even during a rough patch, Kohli’s ability to bounce back is well-known. McGrath is aware that Kohli often delivers his best performances when provoked. That’s why he has warned Pat Cummins’ team against making the mistake of riling him up.
“If he gets into an emotional battle, if there’s some on-field banter, who knows, he could light up,” said McGrath.
“But I think he’s under a bit of pressure, and if he starts with a few low scores, he’ll feel it more. He’s a very emotional cricketer. When he’s in rhythm, he flows, but under pressure, he sometimes struggles a bit.”
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy begins this Friday in Perth. India has won the last two series in Australia, but McGrath believes the hosts are more likely to come out on top this time.
