NEW DELHI: Former Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy has urged the pace trio Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc to take advantage of Virat Kohli’s recent slump in form and should try to give the right-hander a “body bash” during the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, which begins in Perth on November 22.
Having scored six hundreds from 13 Test matches and averaging 54.08, Kohli has historically dominated red-ball cricket in Australia.
Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Healy believes that the speed trio could put the forward defense of the former Indian captain to the test with straighter impact balls that are intended to trap him in front of LBW, since he has only averaged 22.72 in his six Test matches this season.
“The first matchup I’m looking at is how our quicks can bowl to Virat Kohli, and I think they should target his front pad quite often. He sits that front foot there and he can play from anywhere – he can play square on the off-side, he can whip onto the leg-side or he can rock back … but they’ve got to look for any sort of insecurity in his form and maybe target that front pad,” Healy told SENQ Breakfast.
“But don’t do it every ball because he’ll get used to it … it’s the impact ball that has to be on the front pad after he is set up with seam,” he said.
India likely to hand two debuts in first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test vs Australia in Perth
Healy said that the bowlers should try body smashes to take down the former Indian captain if the first matchup fails as Kohli will use hook and pull strokes to counter the bowling.
“If that’s not working, body bash. Bowl at the back armpit, that’s the right arm as a right-handed batsman … and it’s got to be hot. Have him jumping at times if he wants to ride those deliveries – ducking, weaving or bending backwards.
“Get that short leg position right next to him on the leg side and if you need a bumper, it’s got to go at the badge. He might try to bust out of a hard spell with a hook shot or pull shot and that will be hard to control if it’s badge height. So that’s the second tactic, body bashing,” Healy said.
