‘He is someone who…’: Former Indian coach shared his bold verdict on Virat Kohli for his 8-ball duck in Australia

Virat Kohli’s return was expected to be a dominant performance against Australia, but the reality was an eight-ball duck. An attempt to tackle an outside off-stump delivery marked his dismissal once again- leaving fans shocked as they had waited more than half an year to see Kohli score some runs.

“The discussion will always be around playing square of the wicket in Australia. With the extra pace, bounce, and lateral movement on offer, you want to let the ball come to you, play it late and behind the body. That is slightly different from what Virat has traditionally done here. He is someone who likes to take charge, walk towards the bowlers, and play in straighter areas. Today was a different challenge,” Nayar said.

“Mitchell Starc seemed one step ahead. He didn’t go for the full and fast deliveries we’re used to seeing, but instead hit the pitch hard and went across the batter. Yes, there were definite plans against Virat. In white-ball cricket, unlike the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where there was more grass and movement, this was about variation in pace and angles. I am sure Virat will go back, study his videos, and look at adjustments. Maybe playing deeper in the crease or later towards third man could be better options. We saw him work on that during the BGT, and I’m confident he will reflect, adapt, and come back with better plans to deliver the runs we all expect from him,” he added.

Virat Kohli falling short to an outside off-stump delivery has been a continuous pattern during his last Test series in Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy- where he continuously fell for the trap of the ‘outside off-stump delivery’.