Virat Kohli hasn’t scored a Test half-century this year. The sample size is small—just three matches—but he’s averaging 31 this year. With the India vs Australia Test series coming up, India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir does not doubt that Kohli is famished to score runs. With the India vs New Zealand Tests starting on October 16, Gambhir’s certain that he’ll want to make the most of the 3-match series and reach the shores of Australia with exemplary form.
World-class cricketer: Gambhir on Kohli
Gambhir recalled how Kohli made his debut in 2008, and to him, his hunger from that day to now remains the same. “See, my thoughts about Virat have always been very clear that he is a world-class cricketer. He has performed for such a long time. He is as hungry as when he made his debut. To me, his hunger is always there,” Gambhir told reporters in Bengaluru on Monday.
“That hunger is what makes him a world-class cricketer. I am sure that he will be hungry to get runs in this series and probably moving forward to Australia as well. So, I am sure that he will be looking for these three Test matches in the series and then to Australia,” the Indian head coach added.
My job is to back players: Gambhir
Unrelated to comments on Kohli, the former Indian opener also talked about how his job isn’t to drop players but rather to back and ensure he gets the best of them for the team. “You don’t keep judging people after every game; that’s not fair on them. It’s a sport, and people are bound to fail. But more importantly, I think if we can get the results, if people are doing what is needed of them to get the results in our favour, that is fine,” he said.
“Everyone doesn’t have the best days every day. I think the kind of vibe we have is we keep backing our players. My job is to keep backing the players. My job is to keep selecting the best playing 11, not dropping anyone. I’m sure everyone is hungry, and they know there are eight Test matches in a row. So, this is probably the start of them looking at eight Test matches in a row and performing well,” Gambhir concluded.
