Former Indian cricket coach Ravi Shastri is optimistic about Virat Kohli’s ability to regain his form during the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series against Australia. Despite a recent dip in form, Shastri believes that Kohli’s past performances in Australia and his inherent talent will propel him to success.
Virat Kohli & his love-affair with Australia
Kohli has a stellar record in Australia, having scored a century in his debut Test series and accumulating a staggering 692 runs in the 2014 tour. Much like every great batter, Kohli enjoys batting Down Under as he has smashed 1,352 runs at an incredible average of over 54 in Australia. This average is the best by any Indian batter in Australia with a minimum of 700 runs.
Ravi Shastri’s advice to Kohli
While Ravi Shastri is confident in Kohli’s abilities, he has cautioned the star batter to maintain his composure during the initial phase of the series. He advises Kohli to avoid rushing his shots and to play at his own pace, emphasizing the importance of patience and discipline.
Shastri, who knows Kohli well, said on ICC review that, “Well, the King is back in his territory. That’s all I will tell them. When you’ve earned that title after your exploits in Australia, it will be on your (opponent’s) mind when you go out to bat. Your juices are flowing, you’re charged up. It’s again a case with Virat. You want to see calmness because at times you are overeager to get out there and throw the first punch. But I think that calmness in the first half an hour where he gets out to bat or in the first three innings of the series will be extremely important. If he can be calm and play the game at his own pace rather than being in a hurry, I think he’ll be fine.”
Indian players with most Test runs in Australia
| Player | Span | Mat | Inns | Runs | HS | Ave | 100 | 50 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 1991-2012 | 20 | 38 | 1809 | 241* | 53.2 | 6 | 7 |
| Virat Kohli | 2011-2020 | 13 | 25 | 1352 | 169 | 54.08 | 6 | 4 |
| VVS Laxman | 1999-2012 | 15 | 29 | 1236 | 178 | 44.14 | 4 | 4 |
| Rahul Dravid | 1999-2012 | 15 | 30 | 1143 | 233 | 43.96 | 1 | 6 |
| Cheteshwar Pujara | 2014-2021 | 11 | 21 | 993 | 193 | 47.28 | 3 | 5 |
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