Former India head coach Ravi Shastri believes that the seasoned batters Virat Kohli and Steve Smith will be highly motivated to perform in the remaining two Tests of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 between India and Australia.
Both Virat Kohli and Steve Smith have been struggling to deliver consistently in the ongoing five-match Test series, which is currently tied at 1-1 after the third Test ended in a draw at the Gabba in Brisbane last week. Now, India and Australia are gearing up for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
Ravi Shastri backs Virat Kohli and Steve Smith to bounce back in the final two Tests of Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25
Notably, Kohli and Smith both have scored a century in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, but they have been inconsistent, with the Indian batting icon making a strong comeback with a century in Perth but failing to maintain the momentum due to repeated mistakes.
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Similarly, the Australian batting maestro has not been in top form this year, but his century in Brisbane would have certainly lifted his confidence to get back to his form in the remainder of the two Test matches of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
Ahead of the Boxing Day Test scheduled at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) from December 26, Ravi Shastri said that the solid performances of Joe Root, Kane Williamson, and rising stars like Harry Brook will make Virat Kohli and Steve Smith even more dangerous in the upcoming BGT Tests.
Virat and Smith will have slipped down the ranks: Ravi Shastri
The former Indian head coach also believes that Kohli and Smith have slipped in the rankings due to their current form and the stunning performances of Joe Root, Kane Williamson, and Harry Brook. However, the commentator feels that both are class players and will be hungry to perform.
Ravi Shastri said on the ICC Review: “I think Virat and Smith will have slipped down the ranks on current form because, you know, you’ve got the likes of Root taking off, there’s Williamson doing well, Harry Brook has come onto the scene; you know there are a lot of other young players pushing, but these are class players. In a situation like this, you know they’ll be dangerous because they’ll be hungry.”
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Furthermore, Ravi Shastri mentioned that Steve Smith already knows what he needs to do, as evidenced by his impressive century in Brisbane. And the former Indian captain believes that Kohli, like Smith, needs to focus on showing discipline in the first 40 minutes to settle into his rhythm to regain his form.
I don’t think he’s out of form: Ravi Shastri on struggling Virat Kohli
Shastri signed off by saying, “What’s needed you saw from Smith. It might have been a struggle early on, but he was prepared to play the waiting game and be disciplined. I think the same with Virat. If Virat gets over that first 30, 40 minutes, with serious application and discipline, I don’t think he’s out of form; none of these guys are out of form.”
Notably, England’s iconic batter Joe Root is leading the scoring charts among the Fab Four in 2024, with 1556 runs in 17 Tests at an average of 55.57. On the other hand, New Zealand’s batting master Kane Williamson has the highest Test average of 59.58, with 1013 runs.
Talking about Steve Smith, the Australian right-hander is at the bottom with just 337 runs, but his average of 28.08 is still better than Virat Kohli’s, who has scored only 25.06 runs per innings this year.