Virat Kohli, who has been a cornerstone of India's batting for over a decade, has struggled for form in Test cricket recently. In the six matches he's played this year, he has averaged a modest 22.72.
Pace legend Glenn McGrath believes Australia has the "ammunition" to exploit an "emotional" Virat Kohli, who could feel the pressure if he fails to get off to a strong start in the upcoming five-match Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, set to begin in Perth on November 22. India has won the last four Test series against Australia, including two on Australian soil. However, they enter this highly anticipated five-Test series following a 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand at home.
"Without a doubt, especially after coming off a 3-0 loss against New Zealand, you’ve got plenty of ammunition to back yourself up,” Fox Cricket quoted McGrath as saying on 'CODE Sports'.
"So put the pressure on them and see if they’re up for it," he added.
Kohli, who has been a cornerstone of India's batting for over a decade, has struggled for form in Test cricket recently. In the six matches he's played this year, he has averaged a modest 22.72. With the injured Shubman Gill ruled out of the first Test and captain Rohit Sharma's participation also uncertain, Kohli will feel the weight of leading the batting lineup.
However, the 36-year-old has a history of rising to the occasion in Australia, boasting an impressive average of 54.08 across the four tours he's been a part of. McGrath cautioned that an aggressive approach to targeting Kohli could play into his hands, particularly if he manages to control his emotions.
"If they go hard at him, if he gets in the fight with emotions, there's a bit of chat out there, who knows he might sort of lift," said the 54-year-old former Australia pacer who took 563 Test wickets from 124 matches between 1993 and 2007.
"But I think he’s probably under pressure a little bit, and if he has a couple of low scores to start with, he could really feel it. I think he’s quite an emotional player. When he’s up, he’s up, and when he’s down, he sort of struggles a little bit," McGrath added.
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