Australia cricket team will once again target Virat Kohli’s weakness in facing deliveries outside the off stump in the IND vs AUS 2nd ODI. Making his return to international cricket after 8 months, the former Indian skipper was dismissed for a 8-ball duck in Perth in the 1st ODI. It looked like the demons of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where Kohli was dismissed in most of his innings while facing a delivery outside the off stump, returned to haunt him. Ahead of the 2nd ODI in Adelaide, Australia’s Matthew Short believes that the team will continue to exploit the batter’s weakness in the area.
Kohli to be targeted with outside off stump deliveries
Speaking to reporters ahead of the IND vs AUS 2nd ODI, Short stated that pacers like Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc – who have bowled extensively to Kohli over the years – knew what they were doing and will be repeating the same in Adelaide. The Aussie star pointed out that Virat’s mode of dismissal had become a fashion.
“I’m not in the fast-bowling meetings, but that seems to be the way he has been getting out recently. Some of the guys like ‘Hoff’ (Josh Hazlewood) and ‘Starcy’ (Mitchell Starc), they have bowled a lot against him, they know what they’re doing. In Perth they sort of let the conditions do all the work, a bit of swing and nip on the wicket, so I’m sure they’ll do the same again,” Short said.
Virat will be eager to bounce back in Adelaide, with time running out of his hands to secure a spot in the ODI playing XI in the future. Besides, there is also uncertainty over his future in the 50-over format, especially with the selectors embarking on their search to find the perfect team for the 2027 World Cup.
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