Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar has put his weight behind Virat Kohli to make a solid comeback in the second Test match against Australia in the ongoing Border-Gavaskr series. Kohli was dismissed for a cheap score of 12 runs in the first innings of the opening Test match at VCA Stadium, Nagpur against Australia.
The talisman was dismissed on an innocuous delivery down the leg-side by debutant Todd Murphy. On day two, after the Lunch break, Kohli tried to flick the ball toward the leg side but was dismissed in an unlucky fashion.
The linchpin has been in great form in the limited overs format and he will be looking to deliver at his home ground in Delhi. However, Kohli hasn’t got the big runs in the red-ball version and will want to prove his mettle. Kohli hasn’t scored a Test fifty in the last 11 innings.
Speaking to India Today, Sunil Gavaskar said, “See there is just one innings and there are three more Test matches left. A player of his stature is expected to score in every match. But this was just one innings and I feel the century comeback can be a possibility on his home ground in Delhi.”
On the other hand, the Little Master lauded Rohit Sharma’s match-winning knock. Rohit scored a fine knock of 120 runs and in the process brought up his ninth Test century. The Indian skipper showed all patience on a difficult pitch and led from the front.
“It was a captain’s innings where he recognized he had to show the way and he showed the way,” he said. “Because it wasn’t easy to bat on. He likes the pitch where the ball comes on the bat quite nicely.
“And this pitch although there was not the kind of turn that people were talking about, it was a pitch where the ball didn’t quite come on to the bat. So for him to show the kind of enormous patience that he did. To be able to show the application that he did. He led from the front.”
India won the first Test match by an innings and 132 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series. The second Test match will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi from Friday.
