Indian national cricket team assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has spoken about the poor form of batting stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
Abhishek Nayar said Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s return to form in Test cricket is just a matter of 25-30 deliveries.
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Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have had problems in BGT 2024-25
Former India captain Kohli was dismissed for 5 runs in his first innings in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth. However, in the second innings he smashed a spectacular century.
After that, he struggled to get going and was dismissed while chasing deliveries outside off stump. In the Adelaide Test, he returned with scores of 7 and 11, and in the Brisbane Test, he scored 3 runs.
Meanwhile, current Indian captain Rohit Sharma missed the Perth Test and then struggled to bat well in the Adelaide and Brisbane Tests as he posted scores of 3, 6 and 10. Overall, Rohit has only one score of fifty plus in his last 13. innings while Kohli has only two in his previous 15 innings.
The idea is behind making sure what kind of area they need to do those races – Abhishek Nayar
Speaking after the end of Day 1 play, India coach Abhishek Nayar said that both Rohit and Kohli need to start well and spend time in the middle to get back to fitness.
“I always think it’s about having confidence and starting well. If they achieve that, their game will look different. I think both Rohit and Virat are the kind of players that if they face 25 or 30 deliveries, you will see them back to their usual form,” he said.
While backing Rohit Sharma’s comments about ‘the greats of today will find their way’ for Kohli, Abhishek Nayar said:
“As Rohit said, usually when you have a conversation with an experienced player, it is about his approach and game plan. Every player has his weakness. They will be fired one way or another. “The idea is to make sure what kind of area they need to do those races.”
A lot of credit to the way Sam played – Abhishek Nayar
Abhishek Nayar also praised teenage batting sensation Sam Konstas for his impressive 60 off 65 balls in his first Test innings against India. He said:
“There is a lot of merit in the way Sam played. The intent he showed in the first few overs put us on the defensive. But I felt like it took a lot of character from our players to stay there.”
However, Nayar was pleased with the way the Indian bowlers came back after being stunned by the youngster’s exceptional batting in Melbourne. He elaborated:
“We felt like they weren’t the easiest conditions to bowl in. They were good at moving forward. In times like that, it’s important to stand your ground. I felt like we came back very strong after lunch. Throwing those maidens, pressing.
“At times like that, you’re surprised when someone plays a hit like that. But I felt like we responded very well and throughout the day we kept it up and reaped the rewards towards the end. Overall, if you look at the day, we were happy with the end result.”
