Australian cricket great Ian Healy wants pace trio Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc to capitalise on Virat Kohli’s lean patch of form and should look to target the right-hander with ‘body bash’ in the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, starting from November 22 at Perth.
Kohli has dominated earlier in red-ball cricket Down Under, averaging 54.08 and scoring six centuries from 13 Tests. He averages only 22.72 in his six Test matches this year, and Healy believes that the pace trio might test his forward defence with more directly impactful straighter ones designed to trap him in front LBW.
First one I look at is how our quicks can bowl to Virat Kohli, and I think they need to go across the 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 have to look for any sort of insecurity in his form and maybe target that front pad," he 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.
Healy further said if the first matchup doesn't work when Kohli takes on the bowling with hook and pull shots then the bowlers should look to go for body smashes to tackle the former Indian skipper.
Kohli had stroked 116 – first Test hundred at Adelaide in January 2012, followed by making 115 and 141 at the same venue in 2014, where he captained India for the first time in Tests. The former skipper also made 123, the first Test hundred by an Indian batter in the new Perth Stadium in 2018, where he eventually led India to 2-1 series victory, their first-ever Test series win in Australia.
If that's not having an effect, 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 next to him on the leg side and if you need a bumper, it's going to have to go at badge height. He might look to break out of a tough stretch with a hook shot or pull shot and that's going to be almost impossible to control if it's badge height. So that's the second tactic, body bashing," Healy said.
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