‘There’s no need to play that’: Gavaskar on Virat Kohli’s Gabba dismissal | Cricket News

With his dismissal coming again chasing a wide delivery on the third day of the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Gabba in Brisbane, Virat Kohli’s struggles against the particular line of bowling continued in the Australia tour.
Kohli, who had made three runs in 15 balls before his dismissal in India’s first innings, tried for a cover drive off a Josh Hazlewood delivery, giving an easy catch to wicket-keeper Alex Carey with India struggling at 22 for 3 post Australia’s first innings’ score of 445. Former India opener Sunil Gavaskar termed Kohli’s thoughts to chase such deliveries as needless.

Josh Hazlewood gets Virat Kohli!
The Australians are up and about on Day Three. #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/sq6oYZmZAz
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 16, 2024
“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,” Gavaskar said while commentating on Channel 7.
Monday’s dismissal also meant that Kohli did not cross 20 runs in four of his innings in Australia this summer with the century in the opening Test match of the series in Perth being the exception. All of his four dismissals in those four innings have come from the deliveries which he could have left alone and from outside-off lines. Former Australian captain Allan Border too found Kohli’s struggles alarming. “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 while commentating on Fox Cricket.

It was also Kohli’s fifth dismissal against Hazlewood in his Test career and two of those dismissals have come in this series. With India ending the day at 51 for 4 and still trailing Australia 394 runs with two days remaining in the Brisbane Test, India would need Kohli’s bat to fire again. While the Indian innings saw constant rain-breaks, former England batsman Michael Vaughan believes the delivery to Kohli was not a ‘jaffa’.
“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. I don’t think he’s got a jaffa,” Vaughan said on Fox Cricket.

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