India captain Rohit Sharma‘s availability for the primary Take a look at of the approaching Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) remains to be unsure, however Australia have their plans in place to “torpedo” him every time he comes out to open throughout India’s tour, says former leg-spinner Kerry O’Keeffe.
Rohit has had a forgettable time these days in Take a look at cricket, scoring simply 133 runs in 10 innings at residence main as much as the BGT. And whereas he will likely be happy with the 2-Zero sweep in opposition to Bangladesh, Rohit admitted not being at his finest as a captain through the embarrassing 0-Three whitewash in opposition to New Zealand.
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The Aussie tempo battery of Michael Starc, captain Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood will, due to this fact, attempt to put Rohit below strain, as have been Australia’s techniques traditionally in opposition to the visiting captains.
“Rohit Sharma could miss one or two Exams, however he’s the captain, and Australia at all times tries to torpedo the visiting captain. It has been a tactic they’ve used endlessly, and I believe they’re going to go very exhausting at Rohit Sharma,” O’Keeffe advised foxsports.com.au.
Together with Rohit, India’s different premier batsman, Virat Kohli, has been feeling the warmth for some time due to his prolonged lean patch. In six Exams matches Kohli has performed to date in 2024, he has scored simply 250 runs in 12 innings at a mean of 22.72, together with a solitary half-century.
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O’Keeffe believes Australia ought to stay cautious of the batsman in Kohli, who has been a thorn within the flesh for the Aussies through the years. He mentioned Kohli’s kind might be one of many decisive elements of this BGT.
“Kohli, who has frightened them (Australia) through the years, what a surprising participant he is been; however in sport, for those who sense that the king of the jungle is barely weaker, you poke a little bit of cheek at him. I am fascinated to see what Virat Kohli finally ends up with on the finish of the summer time. It might be the decisive level in the entire summer time,” he mentioned.
“If he has a completely blazing sequence, India may win.”
The primary Take a look at begins on November 22 in Perth.
