“This was wide, on the seventh, eighth stump” - Indian legend blasts Virat Kohli for dismissal in BGT 2024-25 3rd Test
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar slammed Virat Kohli for his shot selection that resulted in his wicket on Day 3 of the third Test against Australia in Brisbane on Monday, December 16. Gavaskar said there was no need for Kohli to go chasing after the ball which was way outside the off stump. The 75-year-old added that Kohli could’ve shown patience amid rain interruptions.
Gavaskar told Channel 7 (via CricketCountry):
“If it was on the fourth stump I could understand. This was wide, on the seventh, eighth stump, you could say. There’s no need to play that. He’d be very, very disappointed, he’d be very upset with that.”
“Even before Rishabh Pant faced a ball, the rain started to come down and the covers have come on. If Kohli had shown a bit of patience he could be not out with KL Rahul,” he added.
Watch Virat Kohli's wicket below:
Notably, Kohli has been caught by the wicketkeeper or in the slip cordon in all four of his dismissals in the BGT 2024-25 Test series so far, departing for 5, 7, 11 and 3 (today). The right-handed batter, however, stayed unbeaten on 100 in the series opener in Perth, where India won by 295 runs.
This was the 43rd instance when Kohli was caught behind by the wicketkeeper, which accounts for more than 20 percent of his dismissals. He has also been caught 88 times, not necessarily in the slip cordon, which is 45 percent of his wickets.
“He must be patient like Sachin” – Sunil Gavaskar reiterates that Virat Kohli should take a leaf out of Sachin Tendulkar’s 241 in Australia
Sunil Gavaskar reiterated that Virat Kohli should learn from Sachin Tendulkar, who didn’t play a cover drive against Australia in 2004 after getting out like Kohli in his first three Tests on that tour Down Under. He said in the same interaction (via Republic World):
“He must be patient like Sachin's 241 in Sydney—no off-side shots, not even cover drives. With his strong bottom hand, focus on straight or mid-wicket plays. Discipline is key,” he added.
Follow the IND vs AUS 3rd Test live score and updates here.