Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar lauded Virat Kohli for his disciplined and straight-batted approach during his match-winning innings in the third and final ODI against Australia in Sydney. Coming into the contest after back-to-back ducks in the first two games, the veteran batter showed remarkable composure and intent from the very start.
Kohli remained unbeaten on 74 off 81 balls, steering India to a comfortable nine-wicket victory while chasing 237 in just 39 overs. Reflecting on the key difference in Kohli’s performance from the earlier matches, Gavaskar highlighted in his remarks on India Today that the star batter’s controlled technique made all the difference.
“He was looking to play a lot straighter. He didn’t fiddle at deliveries around the off-stump and played towards mid-on rather than towards square leg. That made a big difference because the straightness of the bat could clearly be seen.”
With his impressive half-century, Kohli climbed to second place on the list of all-time highest run-scorers in ODIs, trailing only the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. The 36-year-old has an extraordinary record in the format, amassing 14,255 runs at an average of 57.71, including 51 centuries, across 305 matches.
Sunil Gavaskar Backs Kohli And Rohit As World Cup Picks
Sunil Gavaskar feels that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma deserve guaranteed spots in India’s squad for the 2027 ODI World Cup. The pair proved their critics wrong with a stellar 168-run stand in the series-deciding match against Australia. Rohit’s brilliant unbeaten 121 off 125 balls earned him both the Player of the Match and Player of the Series awards.
“The moment they made themselves available for this trip, it was clear that they want to be there for the 2027 World Cup. Irrespective of what happens between now and then, whether they score runs or not, with the kind of ability they have, if they are available, they are going to be certainties.”
“And with this kind of form that they’ve shown, you can write their two names down straightaway as part of the Indian team for the World Cup in South Africa in 2027,” said Gavaskar (via the aforementioned source).
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