Sydney [Australia], November 13 (ANI): Former star Australian pacer Brett Lee has advised Indian batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma — two stalwarts having lean patch of form — to take a break from cricket in order to regain their form ahead of the highly anticipated Border Gavaskar Trophy.
So far this year, both Kohli and Rohit have struggled to find their best form, attracting scrutiny following India’s recent 0-3 series loss against New Zealand.
Rohit has accumulated 588 runs from 11 matches this year, averaging 29.40 with two centuries and two fifties. Meanwhile, Kohli has managed just 250 runs from six matches (12 innings), averaging 22.72 with just one half-century.
Their form is a significant concern as India prepares to face Australia, needing to win the series 4-1 to secure their spot in the World Test Championship Final (WTC). The performance of Kohli and Rohit will be crucial for India’s chances to progress to their third consecutive WTC final.
Lee further said that the two batting stars can work on their technique and freshen a bit, and then hit the ground running in the BGT Down Under.
“When you have a couple of bad runs back-to-back, that’s when the pressure could set in. I guess the thing now is someone like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma just have to go back to the drawing board,” the World Cup-winning player said on his YouTube channel Bret Lee TV.
“Work on that technique, freshen up, get away from cricket as much as they can and then hit the ground running when they go to Australia, because I can promise you – these Australian fast bowlers will attack Rohit Sharma with that brand new ball. I have seen him play a lot and I reckon they’ll be ready for the Aussies,” the 48-year-old added.
The much anticipated Border-Gavaskar series between India and Australia will begin on November 22, with the first Test at Perth.
The second Test, scheduled for December 6 to 10 at Adelaide Oval, will feature the exciting day-night format under the stadium’s lights. After that, fans will turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test, which will be held from December 14 to 18.
The customary Boxing Day Test, set for December 26 to 30 at Melbourne’s storied Melbourne Cricket Ground, will bring the series to its penultimate stage.
The fifth and final Test, to take place at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, will serve as the series climax, promising a dramatic conclusion to an exciting contest.
Over the years, India has regained an upper hand over Australia in the series. India has won its previous four series against Australia in a row, including two wins in Australia in the 2018-19 and 2020-21 seasons.
This has made India a much more successful side in the series, with India winning the BGT 10 times and Australia winning it five times, with their last series win coming in during the 2014-15 season. Their last series win in India was in 2004-05.
India’s squad for Border-Gavaskar Series: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli, Prasidh Krishna, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar. (ANI)
