Senior India batter Virat Kohli will have a big series in Australia, said former India head coach Rahul Dravid.
Speaking on Star Sports, Dravid said that Kohli had been batting well on difficult pitches overseas and could end up tormenting Australia in the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy.
The Indian talisman hit a gritty century on the first Test match against Perth in Australia. Kohli was sensational in the second half of that innings, after his initial struggles. Kohli became the fourth Indian batter to hit 30 centuries in Test cricket after Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sunil Gavaskar.
“He’s been batting really well, even in South Africa a few months ago when we were there, I thought he was batting really well on a couple of difficult wickets. It’s just nice for him to be able to get that hundred at the start of the series. I think he could have a big series,” said Dravid on Star Sports.
During the Perth Test match, former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar had spoken about the visible difference in Virat Kohli’s approach with the bat in Perth.
“His body was completely relaxed when he came into bat in the second innings. In the first innings, he came out to bat when India had lost two early wickets, he might have been under pressure. In the second innings, I think he gave himself a little more time to play the ball and, apart from the wider stance, I think he allowed himself to play the bounce by being a little bit more upright,” Gavaskar told the broadcasters at the end of the Perth Test.
Coming into the Test series, Kohli had a terrible outing against New Zealand at home, scoring just 93 runs across 3 Test matches. The batter changed his stance, worked on his game and tried to dominate Australia from the go in the first Test match at Perth. Kohli’s hundred, combined with terrific performances from Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah, helped India secure their first-ever win at the Optus Stadium by a massive 295-run margin. In fact, this was Australia’s first Test match loss at the Optus.
India will next play a Pink Ball Test match against Australia in Adelaide, starting on 6 December.