Indian national cricket team assistant coach Abhishek Nayar spoke about the poor form of batting stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
Abhishek Nayar said that it is just a matter of 25-30 deliveries for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to make their comeback in Test cricket.
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Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli struggled in BGT 2024-25.
Former India captain Kohli was dismissed for five runs in the first innings of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Perth. However, in the second inning, they launched a brilliant attack.
Afterwards, he struggled to get going and was dismissed while chasing a delivery outside the stumps. He returned with scores of 7 and 11 in the Adelaide Test, and scored 3 in the Brisbane Test.
Meanwhile, current India skipper Rohit Sharma has struggled to bat well, registering scores of 3, 6 and 10 in the Adelaide and Brisbane Tests after missing the Perth Test. Overall, Rohit has scored just one score of 50 or more in his last 13 matches. Kohli had managed just two runs in his previous 15 innings.
There is thought that goes into identifying what kind of area is needed for such a run. – Abhishek Nayar
After the day 1 match, India coach Abhishek Nayar said that both Rohit and Kohli will get off to a good start and need some time in between to get back into form.
“I always believe it is important to be confident and get off to a good start. Once they get it, their games look different. I believe both Rohit and Virat are the kind of players who believe that once they face 25-30 deliveries, they will be back to their usual form,” he said.
Supporting Rohit Sharma’s ‘modern greats will find their own way’ statement on Kohli, Abhishek Nayar said:
“As Rohit said, usually when you have discussions with experienced players, it’s about their focus and game plan. Every player has weaknesses. They will be fired one way or another. “The thinking behind it is to see what kind of area is needed for that implementation.”
A lot of credit for the way Sam plays – Abhishek Nayar
Abhishek Nayar also heaped praise on teenage batting sensation Sam Konstas, who scored a stunning 65-ball 60 in his debut Test innings against India. He said:
“A lot of credit goes to the way Sam played. The intent he showed in the first few overs put us behind. But I felt our bowlers needed a lot of character to stay there.”
However, Nayar was pleased with the way the Indian bowlers bounced back after being stunned by the youngster’s superb batting performance in Melbourne. He elaborated:
“I didn’t feel it was the easiest conditions to bowl. They were good to hit. At times like that, it’s important to stick to your guns. I felt we came back really strong after lunch. Putting pressure on those maidens by bowling them.
“At times like that, I get surprised when someone knocks like that. But we responded really well and kept doing it all day and felt rewarded by the end. Overall, looking at the day, I was happy with where we ended up.”
