Former India cricket team assistant coach Abhishek Nayar pointed out that Mitchell Starc was one step ahead of Virat Kohli in the IND vs AUS 1st ODI. The ex-Indian captain’s highly-anticipated comeback ended in an 8-ball duck in Perth, where he once again fell victim to a delivery outside the off-stump. While pointing out Kohli’s errors while facing Starc, Nayar backed the Indian batter to reflect, adapt and make a comeback in the 2nd ODI in Adelaide.
‘Starc was one step ahead of Kohli’
Speaking on JioHotstar, Nayar pointed out that unlike usually going for full and fast deliveries, Starc opted to hit the pitch hard and go across the batter in the IND vs AUS 1st ODI. He backed Kohli to do his homework before hitting the ground in the next game while noting that the Aussies surely had a plan for him.
“Starc seemed one step ahead. He didn’t go for the full and fast deliveries we’re used to seeing, but instead hit the pitch hard and went across the batter. Yes, there were definite plans against Virat. In white-ball cricket, unlike the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where there was more grass and movement, this was about variation in pace and angles. I am sure Virat will go back, study his videos, and look at adjustments. Maybe playing deeper in the crease or later towards third man could be better options. We saw him work on that during the BGT, and I’m confident he will reflect, adapt, and come back with better plans to deliver the runs we all expect from him,” Nayar explained.
Virat’s vulnerability on dealing with outside the off-stump deliveries returned to haunt him during the IND vs AUS 1st ODI. Majority of the batter’s dismissals in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy – the last series he played on Australian soil – came in a similar fashion, exposing his weakness. With uncertainty looming over his future in ODIs, time is ticking for Kohli to pull up his socks and deliver a couple of standout performances in the remainder of the ODIs in Australia.
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