Former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar came to the defense of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma following their underwhelming performance in India’s opening ODI against Australia in Perth. Returning to international cricket after more than six months, both stars struggled against Australia’s new-ball attack on a challenging Perth pitch.
Rohit managed just eight runs off 14 balls, while Kohli was dismissed for a duck in eight deliveries. Even the rest of the Indian batting lineup found it tough to handle the bowler-friendly conditions, as India could only post 136/9 in a rain-shortened 26-over innings.
Speaking to India Today after the game, Gavaskar commented on Kohli and Rohit’s disappointing return, saying:
“Yes, but they were playing on the bounciest pitch in Australia. So it was not going to be easy if you had not had any international cricket for a couple of months under your belt. It wasn’t easy for the Shubman Gills, Shreyas Iyers and others too, who have been playing international cricket quite regularly for some time now.”
“So it wasn’t just the two of them who weren’t able to cope with the bouncing ball. Maybe KL Rahul could have gone in after the first couple of wickets, a little bit earlier. But I wouldn’t be too hard on both these great players,” added Gavaskar.
The former opener also highlighted Kohli’s determination to score early, remarking:
“Yes, every batter wants to get off the mark very quickly. Then they tend to settle down just that little bit. It’s just one of those mental things for every batter. So it is in that effort to look for a single that he reached out and was taken at backward point. But again, when you are playing on a pitch you are not familiar with, that can cause even the best of players some problems.”
“It’s Always Smart To Play A Few Games Before” – Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar suggested that playing a few practice games before India’s white-ball tour of Australia could have helped the team adjust to the bouncy conditions. After the batters struggled to post 136/9, the Indian bowlers were unable to contain the hosts, who comfortably chased down the target with nearly five overs and seven wickets in hand.
“It is always a very good idea to play some games before, particularly for the batters in Australia, if you are going to be playing at Perth or Brisbane where there is a little more bounce than the other Australian pitches. Also for the bowlers who are not playing the Test matches to get their line and length right,” said Gavaskar (via the aforementioned source).
He further added:
“Australian pitches are also hard which means for the bowlers, when they land, it can be jarring for the knee and the back. Even when you saw Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer’s dismissals, again it was the bounce that did them in.”
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