Disgraced Indian national cricket team batsman Cheteshwar Pujara has backed Virat Kohli to dominate the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.

Cheteshwar Pujara reckons that Virat Kohli is aware of the expectations that the Indian team and the fans have of him and would look to live up to that in the Test series against the Australian national cricket team.

Also Read: ‘Hungry’ Virat Kohli is aging: Sourav Ganguly warns batsman to protect ‘reputation’ in BGT 2024-25

Virat Kohli shined against Australia in Test cricket

Indian National Cricket Team’s superstar batsman Virat Kohli has shined against the Australian National Cricket Team in both home and away Test cricket.

He has been struggling to get going with the bat of late but would surely be confident thanks to his past heroics in Australia. Kohli has been training hard in Perth ahead of the first Test and the team management is confident that the batsman will deliver strong performances this time too.

In 25 Tests against Australia, Kohli scored 2042 runs at an average of 47.48, including 8 tons and 5 fifties. Furthermore, on Australian soil, he has played 13 Tests and scored 1352 runs at an astonishing average of 54.08 along with 6 tons and 4 fifties.

He is aware of what is expected of him and how many runs he has to do – Cheteshwar Pujara

Cheteshwar Pujara, who played a key role with the bat in India’s previous two tours to Australia, will not be with the team in BGT 2024-25, and Virat Kohli will have additional responsibility on his shoulders to bat around the youngsters.

Pujara said that Virat Kohli has a much-needed rest and would be ready to compete against the Australians. He added that Kohli has been the leader of the group and is the best batsman in the team.

“There are a lot of expectations placed on him. Because of the number of games he plays and the athlete Virat is, he doesn’t get enough breaks in between them. So sometimes, when you don’t get enough breaks, your body and your confidence go down a little bit. , that is normal,” Pujara said in the Star Sports press room.

“He has a little rest. He is in a place where he likes to compete. If anyone tries it, he would like to give it back to the players: this is how his journey began. He has set high standards for himself. He has that awareness. He has been a leader and is probably the best on the circuit. “He is aware of what is expected of him and how many races he has to do,” he added.

I am sure that once it gets going… – Cheteshwar Pujara

Today’s great Cheteshwar Pujara further expressed his confidence in Virat Kohli’s abilities to perform well once he gets going.

Pujara emphasized the importance of getting off to a good start and said Kohli will have a great series.

“I’m sure once he gets going, he’ll need to spend some time in the game. He is capable of doing all things. Always leading from the front, it’s about achieving a 50-60-70. If he gets a hundred, he will have a big series ahead of him,” Pujara said about Kohli.

“In every game he is motivated, whatever the format. He’s definitely worked on it. “It’s about getting started and putting time into the crease,” he added.