'Hundreds Are an Addiction': Gavaskar Decodes Virat Kohli's Batting Masterclass

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Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has dived into Virat Kohli's performance, addressing two key aspects of his batting - the expectations surrounding Kohli's conversion rate and the subtle technical adjustments in his stance.

Virat Kohli scored a fantastic century in the first Test match against Australia in Perth to end his long wait for a Test hundred, and Gavaskar feels scoring century is an addiction.

"Once you get a hundred, it's like an addiction. You want to get a hundred every time. It's like, 'Oh, I love it. I love getting a hundred. I love raising my bat. I love that little thump on my back when I get back in the change room with everybody,'" Gavaskar said at Star Sports.

Gavaskar likened the expectations surrounding Kohli to those faced by sporting icons such as Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal. He pointed out how title winners in tennis are held to an almost unattainable standard. The same applies to Kohli, whose fans expect nothing short of centuries.

"It's like I said in commentary that Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafa Nadal, they are title winners. If they lose in the semi-finals, people say, 'Oh, they're not in form.' Similarly, with Virat Kohli, because everybody is so used to him scoring so many hundreds quite regularly, when he doesn't score 100, even if he's getting 70-80-which a lot of guys will be very happy to get-people say, 'Look, he's not scoring runs.'"

Gavaskar touched on how Indian fans, often referred to as "greedy fans," demand excellence from their heroes. Kohli, who hadn't scored a century since July 2023 until recently, faced criticism despite delivering crucial 60s and 70s in that period.

"Indian fans, they're greedy fans. They're not going to be happy with their idol scoring only 60-70s. They want their icons to score hundreds."

Gavaskar also discussed Kohli's relaxed demeanor and technical adjustments during his second innings. He noted that Kohli seemed to be under pressure during his first outing, especially after India lost two early wickets. However, in the second innings, Kohli looked calm and composed, which translated into a more confident batting approach.

One of the adjustments Gavaskar pointed out was a subtle change in Kohli's stance:
"In the second innings, apart from changing that stance, I think he also got his legs, which were maybe just a little bit wider at the start. That little thing might have given him that height he wanted. On the bouncier pitches in Australia, you need that edge."

This stance tweak helped Kohli handle the bounce on Australian pitches, making it easier for him to execute shots with precision. Among Kohli's many exquisite strokes, Gavaskar singled out a mid-wicket boundary off Josh Hazlewood as particularly special.

"I liked that mid-wicket boundary that he hit off Hazlewood. That, to me, was not the easiest of shots. A straight drive is a little easier because your stance is like that, but just to open up a little bit and play that - that was all magic," the India legend concluded.