Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid, the former India captain and current head coach, had an honest conversation at the completion of the fourth and final match.
On Day 4 of the fourth Test against Australia, star Indian batter Virat Kohli scored his first Test century in almost three years. Kohli struggled in 2021 and 2022, going over 1,200 days without reaching triple digits. But ever since Kohli scored his first T20I century at last year’s Asia Cup, he has been unstoppable. The 34-year-old finished as the tournament’s top run-scorer in T20s in Australia the year before, and he has since scored three ODI centuries, including two against Sri Lanka in January (113 and 166 not out).
Kohli’s 28th Test tonne is a significant confidence booster for him and Team India as they prepare to face Australia in the World Test Championship final in June.
Kohli had an open conversation with Rahul Dravid, the former India captain, and current head coach, after the completion of the fourth and final Test.
Dravid mocks Kohli in the video by suggesting the Indian captain had to wait 16 months to see his Test century from the locker room.
“I had to wait a very long time for you (since I became the coach). What a stunning inning, and it was a real honor to see how you put it together “Dravid is quoted as saying this in a video posted on BCCI.tv.
Kohli thanked Dravid for his thoughtfulness and said he had a good time batting in the middle.
“Your appreciation is greatly appreciated, Rahul bhai. In terms of how to approach this inning. Even in the practice matches leading up to this one, I could tell that I was doing well. The surface actually played quite well for batting, “remarked Kohli.
When asked about the difficulty of batting on the Ahmedabad surface, Kohli said the Australians made it difficult for him by using an aggressive 7-2 field placement (seven players inside the inner circle and just two outside).
“However, I believe the Australians made excellent use of whatever assistance was available to them on the wicket. Mitchell Starc’s bowling for Nathan Lyon and the other off-spinner (Todd Murphy) established a pattern of bowling consistently in the tiny rough. They made excellent use of the opportunity. For me, it’s the fact that they typically field a 7-2 team. As this is the approach I’ve already used in Test cricket, I knew I’d have to be patient and have faith in my defense “Furthermore, he said.
