The star batter, who has played just one Test in Brisbane without reward back in 2014, is fussing over his technique, putting in the hard yards & rallying the rest as India seek batting edge in crucial third Test...BRISBANE: Step out of the Queensland Cricketers' Club members dining area and there's a unique vantage point right above the Gabba nets, offering a bird's eye view of the proceedings below.
For those watching from here, through the four intense hours that India's top six sweated it out in sweltering heat and alarming UV levels, it was clear this batting unit is trying extremely hard to get its act together following the shellacking in Adelaide.
Everybody, from KL Rahul to Rohit Sharma, put in the hard yards on Thursday but it was Virat Kohli who perfectly epitomized this renewed focus. He was a bundle of batting energy, hopping from one net to the other, facing pace, then more pace, fronting up against spin before spending a long time working on his technique and body position while facing throwdowns from the sidearm, or 'throwdown stick' as the Aussies call it.
Kohli seemed a man on a mission even before hitting the hits, giving a long pep talk to the youngsters along with vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah, getting in some decent slip-catching practice before going deep within himself to iron out some perceived flaws.
It was like watching a past master's frantic attempts to clear the cobwebs of the mind, to try and rediscover the poise and decisiveness of youth. Kohli is still very fit and far from being a spent force, of course. He has already done his bit as the series hits the halfway stage, having hit a century as India won in Perth. But he knows a decisive knock or two under pressure is what the team needs most from him.
It is here, at the Gabba, with India on the ropes, that Kohli will be itching to contribute. He has played just once here and not done well. He knows the team is staring at either an early transition, or a delayed one if veterans like him and Rohit Sharma can rage against the dying of the light a bit longer. The transition will happen, nonetheless.
For the moment, in the here and now, the spotlight is firmly on them. After the Perth ton, Kohli had said, "I'm not the sort of guy who wants to hang around just for the sake of it. I just want to contribute to the team's cause."
In Perth, Kohli enjoyed the cushion of runs, with India already 321 ahead when he came out to the middle. He didn't have that cushion in Adelaide and faltered.
In Perth, Kohli had the time to get his eye in before unleashing a range of strokes when he realized the team was waiting for him to get to three figures before declaring. In Adelaide, he was caught in two minds whether to reach out to a Mitchell Starc delivery, play or leave, and paid the price. In his second stint it was Scott Boland and again that nagging length, and the star batsman only managed to edge it to the 'keeper.
In recent times, Kohli has had a tendency to commit on the front foot, but in Perth he used the depth of the crease well against the likes of Nathan Lyon. In the Brisbane nets on Thursday, he faced problems against deliveries just short of full length, playing and missing or edging against the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar.
Lately, Kohli has found surprising ways to get out, like the Mitchell Santner full toss during the home series against New Zealand. Is it an eyesight thing? Are the trigger movements slow er? Only Kohli would know for sure, but it's possible to draw a distinct line at the point where the consistency starts to taper off—for someone who averaged 54.97 from 2011-19 and scored 27 Test tons, the years from 2020 till date have fetched him only three centuries and an average of 32.14. That's a steep decline, although he has still been impressive overseas of late.
Kohli, then, has to break new ground at the Gabba, but he's not the only one. In India's last five Tests, against Australia here and New Zealand at home, the whole top six has collectively averaged a poor 27.47. Take just the last seven overseas Tests, and their collective average rises to 35.39. In Australia so far, across the two Tests, the top six averages only 28.13 across 24 innings, in spite of centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Kohli.
To make a strong comeback here, this team must find that elusive quality of consistency. Simply put, India must bat long. As Rohit Sharma had said after the defeat in the pink-ball Test, "When you come to Australia the best chance of winning a Test match is by putting runs on the board." Can Kohli inspire a top-six turnaround?