Former India captain Virat Kohli focused on addressing his struggles with deliveries outside the off-stump following his failure in the first innings of the third Test. Virat Kohli and youngster Shubman Gill utilized the morning practice session at the nets at the Gabba in Brisbane on Tuesday, December 17.
Kohli has been struggling with deliveries outside the off-stump in the BGT. Kohli was dismissed for just 3 runs after chasing a wide ball. All four of Kohli’s dismissals in the series have come from catches behind the stumps. Hazlewood dismissed him twice, and Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland each once.
Watch: Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill Practice in Nets on Tuesday Morning
Amid growing criticism, Virat Kohli took to the nets on Tuesday to prove his worth yet again. The right-handed batter worked on his weaknesses, ensuring extended net sessions throughout the ongoing Test series. Kohli was joined by Shubman Gill, who has also had a challenging series against Australia.
Meanwhile, Gill was dismissed for just 1 run off 3 balls. He played an expansive drive early in his innings against Mitchell Starc, but Mitchell Marsh completed the catch at gully. Gill’s last fifty-plus score in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) came in the 2021 Gabba Test.
#HarbhajanSingh shares his mantra: The more you play, the better you get. Watch as he reviews #ViratKohli & #ShubmanGill putting in the hard yards in the nets!#AUSvINDOnStar 👉 3rd Test, Day 4 | LIVE NOW on Star Sports! #ToughestRivalry #BorderGavaskarTrophy pic.twitter.com/hKm7IVHvBd
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) December 17, 2024
Virat Kohli and subhman Gill practice during Match #INDvsAUS #INDvAUS #KLRahul𓃵 #ViratKohli #subhmangill pic.twitter.com/hmPcYNtwzH
— Fan Of Cricket 🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳 (@techsmart484675) December 17, 2024
They Have Been Hitting a Lot of Balls Here – Harbhajan Singh
Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh said the extra training session was arranged for Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill. Harbhajan mentioned that hitting many balls helps players feel better when they’re out of form, hoping the extra practices would help the players regain their rhythm.
“They have been hitting a lot of balls here. Why are they here? They haven’t been scoring a lot of runs in this series. India need Virat and Gill to fire. It’s so good to see them at the practice session even when Team India is batting out there. They are here in the nets, hitting a lot of balls. You can feel good by hitting a lot of balls. When you are not in form, you can feel better by hitting a lot of balls,” Harbhajan told the broadcasters.
“I hope these practice sessions will bring what India needs in the middle,” he added.
He Would Have Left It Alone If He Was in His Best Form – Allan Border
After Sunil Gavaskar criticized Virat Kohli’s “poor” dismissal, Australian cricket legend Allan Border questioned whether Kohli had “lost that edge.” Border said that the delivery Kohli got out to would usually have been left alone if he were in his best form.
“Today’s dismissal, that’s normally a delivery he would have left alone if he was in his best possible form. I’m not sure what’s going on with Virat mentally (and) whether he’s just lost that edge,” Border was quoted as saying by Fox Cricket.
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