‘Don’t go outside and have lunch’: Sunil Gavaskar bluntly tells Virat Kohli to ‘keep control’ like Sachin Tendulkar

Kohli had successfully shut his critics earlier last months after he bounced back from a lean phase with a match-winning century, his first in the format in 16 months, in the series opener in Perth. However, he incurred a double failure in Adelaide, returning with scores of 7 and 11 in India’s 10-wicket loss, which allowed Australia to bounce back in the series.

However, more than the cheap dismissals, it was how Kohli was dismissed in both innings that left Gavaskar worried. Speaking to Star Sports, Gavaskar noted that, like in the early part of his career, Kohli has once again grown vulnerable to deliveries outside the off stump, which reminded him of Sachin’s unbeaten knock of 241 in the Sydney Test.

“What Sachin Tendulkar did in Sydney? He was getting outside the off-stump in his previous three Test matches. He was getting out in the covers and slips. He didn’t play a single cover drive. He only played towards mid-off and mid-on and went on to score 241,” the batting legend said. “Just keep control on yourself, that ‘I am not going to play there [off stump line]’. Jaise Sachin ne double century banayi waise Kohli bhi bana sakte hain (So, like Sachin scored his double century, similarly Kohli can do it as well).”

Gavaskar further warned Kohli that Pat Cummins had already taken note of Kohli’s weakness and could apply the same strategy in the third Test at the Gabba.

“The approach should be that if you aren’t set at the start, don’t go outside and have lunch. In Adelaide, he played a shot that went over the top after he had lunch. Australia fielders must have seen that, when he came back to play in the second innings, they placed a fielder there. He needs to control that. If he can play in the front, he has a good bottom hand, he can hit towards mid-wicket, mid-on and straight if he can concentrate there,” he added.

When Sachin had helped Kohli with the same issue

Kohli has been dismissed caught behind thrice in the ongoing series against Australia. Overall, he has been dismissed in this fashion 42 times in his career, accounting for 21.9 per cent of his career dismissals. This infamously started during the 2014 tour of England, with James Anderson reaping the benefits.

Labelling that tour as the lowest point” of his career, Kohli recalled how Sachin had come to his aid to script a turnaround.

“My hip position was an issue during that England tour,” Kohli told Mayank Agarwal on bcci.tv in 2020. “If the right hip opens or closes too much you, you are in trouble. [You have to] keep that hip position nice and side-on and balanced so that you can play through both off-side and leg side with equal control is very, very important.

“I came back from England and spoke to Sachin paaji and had a few sessions with him in Mumbai. I told him that I am working on my hip position. He made me realise the importance of big stride, a forward press against fast bowlers. The moment I started doing that with my hip alignment, things started falling in place nicely and then the Australia tour happened.”

Kohli bounced back from the difficulty in the tour of Australia later that year, scoring 692 runs at 86.50 and four centuries in as many Tests, his best-ever performance in an away series.

Incidentally, Sachin had incurred a similar issue during his career, which led to bowlers exploiting it. But during that iconic Sydney knock, he did not play a single shot on the off side, en route to a double century.

“We did think for a while that he had a weakness with the ball coming back in through the gate driving on the up. We got him out a couple of times so maybe we could get him out playing the cover drive,” Steve Waugh, who was the Australia captain in that series, had later lauded Sachin in an interview.

“That was our plan in Sydney and he refused to play a cover drive and got 241 not out. So, it just shows he can adapt his game and overcome the plans of the opposition,” he added.