Former India cricketer Kirti Azad has backed star India batter Virat Kohli to fill in at number three in Shubman Gill’s absence for the first Test against Australia at Perth Stadium, Perth. Notably, Gill fractured his left thumb during an intra-squad match at the WACA ahead of the first Test and is unlikely to be available for the series opener.
In his absence, the responsibility is likely to shift on Virat Kohli who has immense experience of batting in Australia. However, Kohli’s numbers batting at number three paints a worrying picture for the team who hasn’t had a memorable time batting at the position. However, despite his low returns, Azad feels Kohli is the best man to be India’s number three given his vast experience.
“I think Kohli is the best bet for number three. He has scored runs at number three (across all formats). And you should always have your best batter at number three. We start with questioning players if they don’t do well, maybe in a series or maybe a couple of innings. But I suppose he has done a humane service for the country, and we expect him to do well again. And I’m sure he’ll get into form. He likes challenges, though this is a tough one in Australia,” Azad told Times of India.
Kohli recently batted at number three in the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru where he got out for duck in the first innings and later made a brilliant 70 in the second innings. Batting at number three, the right-handed batter has scored 167 runs from eight innings at an average of 23.85 with one fifty to his name.
Hence, Kohli is likely to have a tough time batting at the third spot given his poor form in recent times. He could only manage to scored just 93 runs in three matches against New Zealand, out of which 70 came in one innings.
In the ongoing year, Kohli has scored just 250 runs from six Tests at an average of 22.72 with just one half-century to his name.