Virat Kohli Urged by Sunil Gavaskar to Emulate Sachin Tendulkar's 241 in Sydney to Overcome Batting Struggles

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Sunil Gavaskar has advised Virat Kohli to take a leaf out of Sachin Tendulkar's book to overcome his struggles with deliveries outside the off-stump.

Gavaskar highlighted Tendulkar's disciplined 241-run innings against Australia in Sydney in 2004 as a model for Kohli. During that innings, Tendulkar avoided playing cover drives, which helped him score runs without getting caught behind.

In the ongoing Brisbane Test, Kohli was dismissed for just 3 runs by Josh Hazlewood, leaving India at 51 for 4. This was another setback for Kohli, who has had scores of 5, 100 not out, 7, 11, and 3 on this tour. Gavaskar believes Kohli should emulate Tendulkar's approach from the 2003-04 Australia tour when he faced similar challenges.

Gavaskar's Advice for Kohli

Gavaskar suggested that Kohli should focus on defending deliveries outside the off-stump and explore other scoring options. "He should keep a control on his mind and on his game," Gavaskar said. He emphasised that Kohli should think about defending balls on the off-stump rather than trying to score from them.

Tendulkar's innings in Sydney is remembered as one of his finest performances. He batted for over ten hours and scored most of his runs on the on-side, avoiding risky shots on the off-side. Gavaskar noted that Tendulkar didn't play any shots in the cover region during that innings because he was getting dismissed there previously.

Trusting the Bottom-Hand Play

Gavaskar also advised Kohli to rely more on his bottom-hand play instead of going for drives. "He has such a wonderful bottom hand play," Gavaskar remarked, suggesting that Kohli can use it to play straight or towards midwicket effectively.

Kohli has been caught behind three times during this tour, highlighting his struggle with deliveries outside off-stump. Gavaskar believes that by adopting Tendulkar's strategy of patience and control, Kohli can overcome these challenges and find success.

Gavaskar's insights aim to help Kohli regain form by focusing on technique and mental discipline. By drawing inspiration from Tendulkar's legendary innings, Kohli might find a way to navigate through his current difficulties and contribute significantly to India's performance.