After batting first, Australia threw the petard, as the hosts put up a massive 445 runs in the first innings, before rattling India’s top-order. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal scored on the first ball with a boundary but flicked the next straight to Mitchell Marsh at midwicket. Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli followed him to the dressing room after chasing deliveries well wide of the off stump and nicking it behind the wickets.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar lashed out at the top-order batters for their impatient approach, especially when they had a mountain – of 445 runs – to climb. The batsman then proceeded to explain how it was Jaiswal throwing away his wicket.
“You look at it. Just look at that. He threw his wicket away. A tough challenge ahead, requires patience and refraining from playing such strokes. There’s no way you can score 445 in half-an-hour, or even 245 runs – needed to avoid the follow-on – in that time. Shubman Gill chased a ball outside off. Virat Kohli did the same, which was unnecessary. So, there was no role of the pitch. They just played poor shots,” Gavaskar told Star Sports at the lunch break.
Kohli got out doing what has now become a familiar act as he again chased a length delivery outside the off and nicked it through to Alex Carey. Gavaskar solution to Kohli suggested that he may have remembered Sachin Tendulkar’s 241 in the 2003-04 Sydney Test where he put aside the cover drive and primarily works on the leg side.
Stated Gavaskar who shared a similar sentiment – Kohli was required to forget playing on the off-side too.
“Virat Kohli has to be patient, just like his role model Sachin Tendulkar. Remember Sachin’s 241 in Sydney? Not a shot on the off side, not even his favorite cover drive. He has such a strong bottom hand; he can play straight or mid-wicket so well. So he has to do exactly that, just stop playing against off,” Gavaskar added.
