Australian spin legend Nathan Ryan has spoken about his battle with India’s star batsman Virat Kohli. That includes the 2014 Adelaide Test, where the 36-year-old smashed a double century on his debut as Test captain, cementing the spinner’s status as one of the best. target of his attack. After an abysmal home Test season against Bangladesh and New Zealand and years of underwhelming Test results, Virat will be heading into his fifth Test series tour of Australia under the toughest of conditions, with his long-format heritage and a spot against India in the cards. We will be betting on this. Transition after ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle.
The battle against Lyon will be interesting given the star batsman’s perennial struggle against spin bowling, especially in spin-prone conditions at home these days.
Virat has had a great performance against Lyon, scoring 529 runs in 32 innings with an average of 75.6 and around 51 RBIs. He has been released by Lyon seven times.
Speaking about their battle on cricket.com.au, Nathan said in the Adelaide feature that Virat, to get to know the Australian players, said that Virat had a “beautiful forehand that rivaled that of Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer”. I remember talking about “.
“The battle that comes to mind for me was the 2014 Test at Adelaide Oval where he hit 100 in both innings. I was bowling to him and he was batting so easily. He will become a non-striker and just say Federer.” Nathan.
“And I thought, ‘Okay, what is this?’ And he kept doing it and kept doing it. Every time. Every time he came down, he was like, ‘Federer, Federer.’ ” he added.
“And I said, Hey, I don’t know if I’m wrong, but if you think you’re Federer, we’re playing the wrong sport. I said, ‘No, no, I got a beautiful forehand.’ I was just like, ‘OK.’ If you can sit there in the middle of an inning and do that, you’re a decent player. ” he concluded.
The 2014 tour to Australia, which followed a disastrous England tour, was a turning point in Virat’s career as he scored 692 runs with four centuries and half at an average of 86.50. The highest score in the series was 169.
With MS Dhoni’s retirement midway through the series, he stepped up as captain and changed the direction of Indian cricket for the next few years. During Virat’s tenure, India won 40 Tests and improved significantly in overseas conditions.
Virat’s form between 2016 and 2019 was one of the best in the longest format, scoring 4,208 runs in 43 Tests and 69 innings with 16 centuries and 10 centuries at an average of 66.79. He scored seven double centuries during this period. This was the most by a Test captain and the record still stands.
However, ten years later, things have changed. In 19 matches in international formats this year, Virat has just scored 488 runs at an astonishingly low average of 20.33 with just two half-centuries and a best score of 76 in just 25 innings.
Since 2020, Virat has faced a prolonged lean period with Los Blancos, scoring 1838 runs in 34 Tests with just two centuries and 9 fifties at an average of 31.68.
Virat has had a horrible home Test season against Bangladesh and New Zealand this year, scoring just 192 runs in 10 innings at an average of 21.33 and just 150 runs. In the latest ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings, Kohli has dropped out of the top 20 list for the first time in 10 years.
The trip to Australia could spark a new fire in Virat’s heart as he has historically been successful against them. In 13 Tests in Australia, Virat scored 1,352 runs at an average of 54.08 with six centuries and four fifties. His best score is 169.
Across all formats for Australia, Virat scored 3,426 runs at an average of 56.16 with 11 centuries and 19 fifties in 70 innings. His best score is 169.
The much-awaited Border-Gavaskar series between India and Australia will begin on November 22 with the first Test to be played in Perth. The second Test, in day-night format, will be played under lights at Adelaide Oval from 6 to 10 December.
Fans will then turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test from December 14 to 18.
The traditional Boxing Day Test is scheduled for December 26-30 at Melbourne’s iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground and will be the penultimate stage of the series.
The fifth and final Test will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, promising an exciting climax to the much-awaited series.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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