Australian batting great Matthew Hayden has praised Indian legend Virat Kohli for his extraordinary career and his ability to dominate in any conditions in the ODI format. However, he has also said that Kohli should maintain clarity, because thinking too much often leads to mistakes.
Chasing the revised target of 131 runs, the Australian team was on the front foot from the very first ball. Captain Mitchell Marsh led from the front, scoring 46*, which kept the team together and prevented the collapse. Josh Philippe also played a good innings, before debutant Matt Renshaw scored the winning runs in a fourth-wicket partnership with the captain.
Australia have taken an early lead in the series, with the second ODI to be played in Adelaide on October 23.
Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden praised Virat Kohli despite being out for a duck in the first game in Perth. The Australian legend said that Virat Kohli deserves to be discussed because of his extraordinary international career, which highlights his impeccable accuracy in a career spanning over two decades.
With over 14,000 runs, Kohli is the second-highest run-scorer in the format behind Sachin Tendulkar, and the Australians were impressed by his brilliance.
“Virat Kohli’s striking ability and contact points are exceptional. Having scored 14,000 runs in this format, there is no question about his approach as he consistently plays the ball on the bounce and finds the timing quickly,” Hayden said on Star Sports.
“When he has clarity he is devastating” – Hayden urges Kohli to change approach to get form back
After the Indian order struggled to score runs in the opening ODI, there has been a flood of advice from many former cricketers and Hayden has also opined on the same. Rohit Sharma was out after scoring 8 runs, while Virat Kohli was out without opening the account.
The former great highlighted Kohli’s destructive potential when he urged him to avoid overthinking. He suggests that Kohli has some remarkable game awareness and decisiveness from his years of experience in international cricket, which helps him thrive in high-pressure situations.
He said, “What I hope he avoids is arguing with himself and overthinking, which can lead to mistakes. He is devastating when he has clarity, certainty and the ability to read the game – qualities that his experience provides.”
Virat Kohli reveals what helps him progress against Australia
When Virat Kohli was asked about his dominance in Australian conditions, he revealed that the crowd, who knows the game well, always poses a challenge to the visiting cricketers and puts them on edge.
Furthermore, he also said that once a player starts playing a dominant brand of cricket in the country, the crowd appreciates the efforts and applauds him for maintaining the spirit of the game. Kohli has achieved success scoring huge numbers of runs throughout his career in the island nation.
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