‘I don’t want this guy to be confident’: Allan Border disappointed with Australia’s approach to Virat Kohli

Last update:November 29, 2024, 14:21 CEST

Allan Border criticized Pat Cummins’ tactical approach during the Perth Test, which allowed Virat Kohli to return to form with his 30th Test hundred.

Pat Cummins and company couldn’t figure out how to beat Virat Kohli in Perth. (Photo: AP)

Legendary Australian captain Allan Border was not too happy with the Australian bowling attack, which was unable to contain Virat Kohli, who returned to form after a brilliant century in Perth.

After 18 months, Kohli was able to end the century drought by scoring an unbeaten hundred, which helped the visitors gain a mammoth lead in the second innings, which proved too much for the hosts.

“I was disappointed with the way we allowed Kohli to get to his hundred without much resistance,” Border told SEN radio on Friday morning.

“We don’t want this guy to be full of confidence for the rest of the series,” he added.

Border was also critical of Pat Cummins’ tactics in the match, which, according to the veteran, allowed Kohli to throw punches with ease and not be under pressure. This opinion was shared by another legendary batsman, Matthew Hayden.

“They missed a few tricks with Virat Kohli early in his innings. Nathan Lyon had a center fielder, one catcher offside and middle wicket. I felt it was very easy for him to break the strike,” Hayden told Channel 7 after India’s win.

The legendary left-handed opening batsman also criticized Cummins and Co’s use of shorter deliveries towards the end of the match, which proved to be an ineffective strategy.

“Jaiswal looked helpless in the face of this. Maybe the little things with Pat Cummins, being able to think through those decisions. They were shocked by the batting average (in the first innings) and as we see now, the bomb is flying again,” he said.

As a result, Australia lost one match in the five-match series and are expected to bounce back in the upcoming pink ball Test in Adelaide.

India will get a huge boost with Rohit Sharma’s return to the side. Moreover, Shubman Gill may also return to the field after missing the first match due to a thumb injury.

With the return of these two famous players, there will be questions about India’s batting order. Rahul was in good touch in the early stages of the attack, but Rohit’s return could see Rahul drop down the pecking order, which could worsen his good form.

(with PTI inputs)