Former Australia National Cricket Team wicketkeeper-batsman Ian Healy has ordered Pat Cummins & Co. to launch a brutal attack on Virat Kohli during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
Ian Healy wants the pace trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood to completely destroy the body of the India National Cricket Team batting superstar Virat Kohli.
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Have him jumping at times – Ian Healy
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 is scheduled to begin on November 22 in Perth and Virat Kohli will be a huge threat for Australia.
Despite not being in the best form of his life, Kohli isn’t being written off by the Aussies and they have prepared game plans to deal with him during the marquee Test series.
Ian Healy knows what kind of impact Kohli can create with the bat. Hence, he has ordered the Australian pacers to attack Virat Kohli’s body. He wants the speedsters to trouble the batter with body blows and have him ‘jumping, ducking, weaving or bending backwards.’
“Body bash. Bowl at the back armpit, that’s the right arm as a right-handed batsman … and it’s got to be hot,” Healy told SENQ Breakfast.
“Have him jumping at times if he wants to ride those deliveries – ducking, weaving or bending backwards.
“Get that short leg position right next to him on the leg side and if you need a bumper, it’s got to go at the badge. He might try to bust out of a hard spell with a hook shot or pull shot and that will be hard to control if it’s badge height.”
The first matchup I’m looking at is how our quicks can bowl to Virat Kohli – Ian Healy
The match-up that Ian Healy is quite excited to see in the five-match Test series involves Virat Kohli. He is keen to see how the Australian pacers will bowl to Kohli in the Perth Test and also shared advice with his countrymen.
“The first matchup I’m looking at is how our quicks can bowl to Virat Kohli, and I think they should target his front pad quite often,” he said.
“He sits that front foot there and he can play from anywhere – he can play square on the off-side, he can whip onto the leg-side or he can rock back … but they’ve got to look for any sort of insecurity in his form and maybe target that front pad. But don’t do it every ball because he’ll get used to it … it’s the impact ball that has to be on the front pad after he is set up with seam.”
Virat Kohli has got a great record in Australia
Kohli has struggled with the bat in Test cricket this year. He was awful in the recent home Test series against Bangladesh National Cricket Team and New Zealand National Cricket Team.
In both the series, he scored below 100 runs and was troubled equally by pacers as well as spinners. In 2024, Kohli has scored 250 Test runs in 6 matches at an average of 22.72, including one fifty.
However, he has got a good record in and against Australia and he would be looking to continue that. In 25 Tests against the Aussies, Kohli has scored 2042 runs at an average of 47.48, including 8 tons and 5 fifties.
Meanwhile, Kohli gets better Down Under as in 13 Tests, he has scored 1352 runs at an amazing average of 54.08 to go with 6 tons and 4 fifties.
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