Virat Kohli urged to emulate Sachin Tendulkar's patience and heroics at SCG: 'I'm not rushing'

After experiencing consecutive failures in the pink-ball Test at Adelaide, Virat Kohli has received advice from the renowned Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist. Gilchrist suggests that Kohli should learn from the tactics employed by Sachin Tendulkar and adopt a more patient approach in his game. In the match, the Australian pacers skillfully exploited Kohli's well-known vulnerability outside the off-stump, resulting in his early dismissals in both innings. Although Kohli initially showed some restraint, he eventually succumbed to the temptation of playing shots at deliveries outside the off-stump, leading to his downfall. In the first innings, he was dismissed by Mitchell Starc for a mere 7 runs, while Scott Bolland outsmarted him in the second innings, dismissing him for just 11 runs. Unfortunately, Kohli has struggled to find a solution to this issue, repeatedly falling into the same trap set by the pacers.

Gilchrist has advised Kohli to try and hone in on what Tendulkar achieved at SCG in 2004 - challenge himself not to play a cover drive. During the 2004 Test, Australia planned to get Tendulkar out while attempting a cover drive, but the Indian maestro analysed the field early and challenged himself not to go for the shot. It all panned out well for him as he went on to score 241 runs against a fierce bowling attack.

"The biggest battle, is not with what's coming towards you from the bowler or the skill of the opposition, it's more about battle between your ears. So, not suggesting that Virat scrambled any sense, but maybe he's got to try and hone in on what Sachin Tendulkar did at the SCG. And say 'right he'd say, right, I'm not gonna go chase anything outside off stump. You come to me.' You just play the patience game," Gilchrist told Cricbuzz.

The Aussie legend has backed Kohli to get over the rough patch, as he said the Indian star has the mental strength to bounce back and find the solution to the chink in his armoury.

"He's got enough experience under his belt to know that he's mentally tough. He's carried the weight of expectation since U-19 level, entering the IPL and becoming the icon that is," Gilchrist said in the same interaction.

'Virat Kohli should be able to say to himself…'

The Indian batting maestro slammed a century in the second innings at Perth to end a rough patch which he sustained during home Test season but then the pink-ball challenge turned out to be too much for him in Adelaide.

Gilchrist further said that it's an opportunity for Kohli to test himself in the middle mentally, which might also help him evolve in other ways.

"He should be able to say to himself, I'm going to do what's within my capacity to do the best thing for the team and if it's a long patient game, so be it. If you play long enough, you're probably gonna have to evolve in different ways and this might be an opportunity for Virat to do that," he added.

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