Shane Watson wants Australia to ‘leave Virat Kohli alone’ in Border-Gavaskar trophy

Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson doesn’t want the Aussies to poke a sleeping bear in Virat Kohli in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar trophy against India. Kohli is known to be at his best when he is triggered by the opposition as it gives him an extra intensity on the field.

But the former Indian captain has been searching for runs in the recent past and could only manage 93 runs in three Test matches against New Zealand at an average of 15.50 despite playing at home.

However, Virat Kohli has had a love affair with Australia and he would definitely look to continue that relationship with the opposition. Kohli has scored 2042 runs in 25 Test matches against Australia at an average of 47.48, including eight centuries. Kohli has even better numbers while playing in Australia as he has scored 1352 runs in 13 Test matches at an impressive average of 54.08, including six centuries.

Shane Watson said on the Willow Talk podcast, “The one thing that I know about Virat Kohli is because he’s the fire burning so brightly and deeply inside of him, the intensity that he brings to every ball that he is engaging in a game has been superhuman. But there have been moments in his career when that fire started to go out because it is so hard to maintain that intensity.”

“That is where the Australian team needs to leave him alone, and hope that he doesn’t bring that intensity. If he brings that, then that just shuts everything out, and that’s when he will be at his very best. But if stuff is going on and that intensity is not there, then you see that not the best version of Virat,” he added.

On the other hand, legendary Sunil Gavaskar said Virat Kohli will be very hungry to perform well in Australia after mundane returns in the home Test series against Bangladesh and New Zealand.

Gavaskar told Star Sports, “Because he hasn’t got runs against New Zealand, he’ll be very, very hungry. Even in that Adelaide Test match, wherein the second innings we got all out for 36, in the first innings, Kohli got 70 plus, if I recall correctly, before being run out. He’s consistently performed at Adelaide, so it’s a familiar ground for him. And before Adelaide, it’s Perth, where he played one of the finest Test centuries in 2018-19. A terrific hundred.”

The opening Test match between India and Australia will be played at Perth from November 22 onwards.