Former Pakistan cricketer Zaheer Abbas has offered advice to star Indian batsman Virat Kohli ahead of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series in Australia. Zaheer Abbas said he is confident that Virat Kohli will regain his batting form amid his poor outings in the longest format of the game.
Kohli has struggled to score runs of late. The right-handed batsman has scored 1,186 runs in 20 Test matches, at an average of 35.93. He managed to score 93 runs in six innings at an average of 15.50 against the Kiwis. Kohli smashed just half-centuries in five Tests against Bangladesh and New Zealand.
Virat Kohli doesn’t have any technical problem – Zaheer Abbas
Speaking to RevSportz, Zaheer Abbas said that Virat Kohli still has a few years of cricket left in him. Zaheer emphasized that Kohli does not have any technical problem but needs to concentrate more. The legendary cricketer said that playing cricket continuously can lead to loss of concentration.
“Kohli doesn’t have any technical problem, he just needs to concentrate more,” Zaheer said on RevSportz.
“When you play cricket almost non-stop, your mind can get tired and you tend to lose concentration while batting. I think this is Kohli’s problem right now. You need to be in the right frame of mind. “He still has a few years of cricket left,” he added.
Backing Virat Kohli to score runs on real Australian pitches – Zaheer Abbas
Zaheer Abbas said Virat Kohli would perform well on the Australian pitches and added that the conditions would suit his style of play. He said Kohli would like to bat on Australian pitches, where the ball comes to the bat with minimal lateral movement.
“I support Kohli to score runs on real Australian pitches. He would love to bat there. The ball will reach the bat. There won’t be much lateral movement and he’s a great player. If he can get the right frame of mind, he should score a lot of runs,” Zaheer said.
The 36-year-old batsman has an impressive record in Australia, with 1,352 runs in 13 Tests at an average of 54.08, including six centuries. The Indian team, led by Rohit Sharma, will begin the five-match Test series against Australia on November 22 in Perth.
A lot will depend on how he performs in the series – Zaheer Abbas
The former Pakistan captain spoke about Virat Kohli’s struggles against spin in the New Zealand series, adding that even average spinners look world-class at spin deliveries. Zaheer emphasized that Kohli’s performance in the upcoming series in Australia will be crucial for his comeback.
“Sometimes batting can become a lottery for those who change ranks. At any moment a ball can come with your name on it. These pitches can make even average spinners look like world-class bowlers. I don’t think Kohli has any technical problem with spin. That said, he hasn’t scored runs in a while and needs to get back to form in Australia. A lot will depend on how he performs in the series,” Zaheer concluded.
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