Australian bowler Scott Boland revealed his strategy to dismiss Virat Kohli for the third time in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 series. Scott Boland stated that the team has clear plans in bowling to Virat Kohli and added that Australia adjusts its line slightly up to the fifth stump.

Virat Kohli scored 17 runs off 69 balls on Day 1 of the Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Friday, January 3. The Men in Blue were bowled out for 185 in their first innings. In response, Australia ended the day at 9/1, with Jasprit Bumrah dismissing Usman Khawaja off the last ball of the day.

We have pretty set plans for how we want to bowl – Scott Boland

Scott Boland said Virat Kohli tends to leave a lot of deliveries early on but wants to play the ball once he has settled in the box. Boland noted that they adjust their lines to the fifth stump once Kohli settles in and added that this has been effective so far in this series.

“We have pretty set plans for how we want to bowl to him. He feels like it goes away a lot and then he wants to play the ball once it comes in. So once it comes in, we just want to change.” our lines a little bit to the fifth stump and it’s working at the moment,” Boland said of Australia’s success against Kohli this season on Fox Cricket.

Virat Kohli could have been dismissed for a golden duck off Scott Boland

Virat Kohli could have been dismissed on his first ball when the third umpire did not rule out a catch as the ball appeared to touch the ground. Finally, Beau Webster caught him brilliantly at third slip off Scott Boland’s bowling.

Australia’s bowling pressure was too much for Kohli, who pushed a ball away from his body and got caught in the cordon. This was the fourth time Boland dismissed Kohli in Tests. Boland picked up the wickets of Yashasvi Jaiswal (10), Rishabh Pant (40) and Nitish Kumar (0) in the first innings.

Its natural angle makes it really difficult for right-handers – Beau Webster

Australian debutant Beau Webster praised Scott Boland for his relentless bowling style. Webster highlighted that Boland has the ability to find wickets regardless of the conditions. He also noted that Boland’s consistency with his line and length makes him particularly challenging for righties.

“If there’s something on the wicket, he finds it, and if there’s nothing on the wicket, he still manages to find a way through,” Webster said. “He’s relentless. I think it’s his line and his length and his natural angle that makes it really difficult for right-handers, but when we see him go around the wicket to left-handers, it’s impressive.”

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