Matthew Hayden backs Kohli as he shines in Boxing Day Test, gives ‘Sachin Tendulkar’ advice

Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden has called on Virat Kohli to resist the urge to hit the ball outside the off-stump, saying that Sachin Tendulkar played in the 2003-04 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He cited one of his best innings as an example. Apart from Kohli’s unbeaten century in the second innings of the first Test in Perth, the 36-year-old struggled with the bat and was constantly being caught with balls outside the off-stump. Hayden said the track at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the venue for the Boxing Day Test, is suitable for batsmen and reinforcements as the Indian great returns to form, provided he can resist the urge to hit the ball outside the off-stump. I believe that.

“There may have been great wins, there may have been losses, there may have been some shaky situations.I mean, I can list a hundred areas where Virat Kohli would have batted in his illustrious career. But in Melbourne, he’s saying, ‘What he has to do is resist flashing outside the off-stump,’ Hayden told Star Sports.

Hayden went on to recall one of the finest Test innings played by Sachin, when the heavy Australian bowling attack of Brett Lee, Andy Bitchell and Jason Gillespie targeted the same area for the outside edge. Ta. The ‘Master Blaster’ then went on to score an unbeaten 241 runs, scoring runs in 33 innings, but none of them were able to get into the cover area, showing incredible resilience.

“And what I would suggest is that he seems to be a little more in line with the ball and play a little more on the ground…I know he’s a great cover driver, but also Sachin Tendulkar. Similarly, he kept it for some time’ day. I sat in the ditch, licking my lips, and thought to myself, look, this is great, stubborn batting. I didn’t feel like I was going to catch any fish that day, but I still felt like I was in the game for the entire series.

“Sachin stopped the cover drive, went into the innings, kicked his legs brilliantly, put some spin on it, addressed the areas that were a concern. He gave them a big cross and said, ‘I’m not monitoring today.’ I did. Virat Kohli has that personality and I’m sure you’ll see that in Melbourne as well,” he added.

The ongoing BGT is all set for a blockbuster finish with India and Australia drawing 1-1. India’s top order struggled mightily in the second and third Tests and will rely heavily on Kohli’s experience and talent if they are to chase an unprecedented third successive victory in the series in Australia.