India vs Australia: Shastri says ‘first two innings’ crucial for Kohli to challenge Aussies

Virat Kohli has been in good form in limited-over formats and is expected to continue the rhythm in red-ball cricket when India squares off against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The first match of the four-Test series begins on 9 February at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur.

Ahead of the highly-anticipated clash, ex-India head coach Ravi Shastri backed Kohli and looked hopeful of his performance in the home series. He referred to the 34-year-old’s previous records against Australia, while previewing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on Star Sports.

The star India batter has been going through a lean patch in Test cricket for quite some time. His last three-digit score in the longest format came against Bangladesh in November 2019. Kohli donned the whites for India last during the two-Test overseas series against Bangladesh in December last year. But he failed to replicate his white-ball form in the two Tests and wrapped up the series with just 45 runs in both games.

Shastri believes that Kohli is capable of posing much threat to Australia if he can pull off a desirable start to the series. According to the former coach, the batter’s overall performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will entirely depend on his batting in the first two innings.

“He would be charged up and want to start well. You should look at his first two innings. If he gets off to a start, he would be a thorn in the flesh for Australia,” Shastri noted.

Furthermore, Shastri warned that Australia will come well-prepared in order to get the better of Kohli. He noted, “For sure, they won’t want that to happen.”

He also pointed out the exceptional records Kohli has against the Aussies, adding, “Kohli’s average is just under 50 against Australia. It’s an amazing record, which should definitely inspire him.”

So far, Kohli has faced Australia in 20 Tests in which he racked up a total of 1,682 runs at a batting average of 48.05. He has also notched up as many as seven Test centuries against them.

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