Virat Kohli. (Source – Getty Images)
Australia have gained a 2-1 lead in the ongoing five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy after a 184-run win in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. After losng the series opener in Perth by 295 runs, the hosts levelled the series with a 10-wicket win in the second Test in Adelaide and then won the fourth Test in Melbourne after the rain-affected third game in Brisbane ended in a draw.
Pat Cummins’ men are in the driver’s seat going into the fifth and final Test of the series. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli’s poor form has been a major talking point in the series. After scoring a second-innings century in Perth, Kohli has been unable to put up a good performance and has has constantly fallen in similar fashion, falling prey to deliveries outside the off stump. As a result, he has been subjected to heavy criticism.
Meanwhile, former India pacer Atul Wassam has opened up on the veteran’s struggles, stating that the BCCI should have an “exit plan” for Kohli.
“Virat has got runs, but he also knows what’s happening. They are very sorted mentally. A player always thinks that ‘my best is around the corner’. I’ll do it just now.’ It’s such a long spell; it’s hurting the team, and there is questioning, saying you should be dropped. A lynch mob comes after you,” Wassan was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times.
“They also know what is going on. I think an exit plan, like a succession policy, must be clear. It’s not fair on the management, the team and the cricketing structure, we don’t know what’s there in your mind,” he added.
Meanwhile, both the sides will fly to Sydney for the fifth and final Test, with the contest starting from January 3 at the iconinc Sydney Cricket Ground. Australia, with a 2-1 lead, look to clinch the series, having failed to clinch the Border-Gavaskar Trophy since almost a decade.