Former Australian captain Michael Clarke has extended strong support to Virat Kohli following his disastrous Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024025 campaign, urging the Indian cricket team management to keep faith in the batting icon despite his recent struggles in Test cricket.
Speaking on the Beyond23 Cricket podcast, Michael Clarke acknowledged Kohli’s lean patch but said that his immense talent and unmatched impact on the game make him so unpredictable, as he could smash a double hundred any day, and then his experience is an extra advantage to the team.
Michael Clarke defends Virat Kohli’s place in India’s Test team amidst struggles
Notably, Virat Kohli’s form has been a point of concern, as he managed just 190 runs in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 after starting the Australia tour with a century in the first Test in Perth. Kohli’s overall record for the 2024-25 season is alarming, with only 382 runs in 10 matches at an average of 22.87, including a solitary century and a half-century to his name.
Despite the numbers, Clarke strongly defended the dashing right-hander, claiming if he were the captain, he would “fight with the team management” to ensure Kohli remains a part of India’s Test lineup. Despite Kohli’s recent form, the former Australian skipper believes the Indian cricket team would be the only one losing if Kohli retires from Test cricket.
If he retires from Test cricket right now, there’s only one team losing out and it’s India: Michael Clarke
Michael Clarke said on the Beyond23 Cricket podcast: “It’s Virat Kohli! This guy can make a double hundred tomorrow. He’s that good a player. This guy could play; he should play until he’s had enough. If he retires from Test cricket right now, there’s only one team losing out: it’s India. If I were captain of any team that Virat Kohli was in, even though I know he didn’t make as many runs as he would have liked, I’m fighting for him to stay in my team.”
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Meanwhile, Clarke also addressed the criticism of Kohli’s dismissals outside off-stump in the recent Test series in Australia. Following his similar dismissals, many recalled how Sachin Tendulkar famously avoided the cover drives during his iconic double hundred at the SCG to suggest the former Indian skipper to regain his form by following his idol’s footsteps.
Michael Clarke responds to calls for Virat Kohli to emulate Sachin Tendulkar’s SCG strategy
However, the former Australian batter has pointed out that both Indian batting icons Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli are two of the all-time greats, but their playing styles are fundamentally different.
Michael Clarke explained that while Tendulkar famously avoided the cover drive during his double hundred at the SCG, Kohli’s strength lies in his unique batting style, particularly his aggressive approach to playing the ball.
Clarke signed off by saying, “Sachin was a different player than Virat Kohli. A lot of people during this Australian summer were saying Sachin did it in a Test match. He got out cover driving a couple of times and then let it go to make a 200 at the SCG. Sachin is a different player from Virat. Virat’s greatest strength is bat on ball. He just plays it in a different way.”