Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023: Aakash Chopra expects Virat Kohli to come good against Pat Cummins-led Australia

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has stated that India’s star batter Virat Kohli becomes a different beast while playing against Australia. He also added that he is expecting Kohli to score at least two centuries in the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy starting February 9. 

The 34-year-old has an impressive record in Tests against the Aussies scoring 1682 runs in 20 matches while averaging 48.05. However, he doesn't wield a very impressive record against the Aussies at home.

"This is the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and if we have to do well in this, it is almost imperative for Virat Kohli to score runs. There is one thing about Virat - he becomes a different beast when he plays against Australia. He activates the beast mode slightly. His best performances have generally come against this team. So you will have the expectations once again," said Aakash Chopra on his show Aakashvani.

Chopra also highlighted Kohli’s struggles against the left-arm spinners and said that he has not been able to judge their length perfectly. "The only thing, which I felt in the last series as well, was where he played a full delivery from Taijul Islam on the back foot and it went and hit the stumps, and Mitchell Santner also dismissed him similarly in the ODIs. That's one thing where he has gotten out early a few times," he further added.

Aakash Chopra concluded by stating, "So he will have to keep that slightly in his mind, playing the full delivery on the back foot against a bowler who takes the ball slightly away from him. Besides that, it is a four-Test series, so I am expecting at least two centuries. That's not an unfair ask. He is Virat Kohli, run-machine Kohli. Hopefully, he will score runs."

Kohli hasn’t been able to score a century for India in whites since 2019 after scoring 136 against Bangladesh in a pink-ball Test at Eden Gardens in Kolkata in November.

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