‘It was very un-Kohli like…’: Brett Lee's assessment of Virat's ‘slim pickings’ against Australia pacers Down Under
Lee was critical of Virat Kohli's dismissals throughout the series and said it was very un-Kohli-like how things panned out for him in the series.
Legendary Australia pacer Brett Lee shared his assessment of Virat Kohli's struggles outside off-stump in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The batting maestro had an underwhelming tour Down Under and scored just 190 runs in five Tests. He started the tour on a positive note with an unbeaten century in the opening Test at Perth, but his numbers dropped drastically after that.
He kept on getting out in a similar fashion - edging the outside off-stump delivery behind the stumps to the wicketkeeper or slip cordon. This technical flaw, which has plagued him for the past four years, has now become a major concern for Team India, leaving the management and fans alike wondering if he can rediscover his once-dominant form.
Lee was critical of Kohli's dismissals throughout the series and said it was very un-Kohli-like how things panned out for him in the series.
"For me, it was very Un-Kohli like, you obviously get batsmen nick off occasionally or they’ll do something and they’ll make those differences in their actions and techniques but the thing with Virat Kohli. Unfortunately for him, he kept getting out the same way through the whole Test series. I think back to Perth, the second innings where he made a magnificent 100 and I thought okay, he’s in going himself in the first innings nicked off but now he’s back to his best, 100," Lee said on his YouTube channel.
The legendary bowler asserted that the Australian pacers executed their plan well against Kohli, who failed to tackle them.
“But after that, he was very slim pickings for Virat Kohli. I also think Australia had a very valid bowling plan to him, they researched him very very well. I think their preparation was very outstanding but unfortunately for Virat Kohli, he missed out other than one innings in Perth,” he added.
‘I was watching Virat Kohli very very closely…’
The two Indian stalwarts Kohli and Rohit had forgettable tours as the critics have started raising questions over their places in the Test set-up.
However, Lee came in their support and said that the duo were prepared for the challenge and especially pointed out how Kohli looked very engaged but unfortunately failed to get the big runs.
“I don’t think so that they were mentally not well prepared. I think Rohit Sharma more than Kohli but I was watching Kohli very very closely throughout the whole series and to me, he [Kohli] looked very engaged, he looked like he was certainly applying all those skills that have made him such a great batsman. And, he’s still such a great batsman. But unfortunately for Kohli, he couldn’t get those runs,” he added.