India vs Australia: Kohli’s Coach and Gavaskar in Heated Dispute During India-Australia Test

India’s former captain Virat Kohli has been facing significant backlash for his inconsistent performances during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Despite scoring a century in the first Test at Perth, Kohli’s other innings have been underwhelming, with an average of just over 9 runs across his last eight first-innings appearances since the Bangladesh series.

The situation escalated when Kohli’s childhood coach, Rajkumar Sharma, clashed with cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar. Gavaskar advised Kohli to emulate Sachin Tendulkar’s cautious approach from his iconic 241 at Sydney, avoiding risky shots. However, Sharma dismissed claims of Kohli being out of form, highlighting his match-winning century and calling criticisms based on a few innings unfair. He said:

Sunil Gavaskar has been a great player, and his suggestions are always welcomed, but I hope he suggests others also about their batting. He has been performing well since 2008. It would be unfair to say that he is out of form on the basis of two innings. He has already scored a hundred in this series. How many players have got a hundred in the series? To be honest, I didn’t know much about the stats, but the kind of player he is, he will bounce back. I think he is too good a player to be told anything and criticized because he has been the most consistent player in Indian cricket history.

Sharma defended Kohli’s technique and mental resilience, expressing confidence in his ability to bounce back. With the Boxing Day Test at the MCG approaching, India and Australia are locked 1-1 in the series, with both teams vying for an edge in the crucial fixture.