Getting Virat Kohli out very easy? Andrew McDonald makes colossal statement

Australian head coach Andrew McDonald has spilled the beans on how the hosts managed to keep Virat Kohli silent in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against India. After the end of day two’s play in Sydney, McDonald shed light on their well-executed plan that has consistently put the Indian batting maestro under pressure throughout the five-match Test series.

The battle between Virat Kohli and Australian pace bowlers has been a fascinating story in the high-stakes Test series. Australia was once Kohli’s hunting ground, but this time, he had a forgettable Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, thanks to Andrew McDonald and his bowlers’ crafty strategy.

Andrew McDonald reveals secrets behind Australia's tactical dominance against Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli’s consistent failure against balls that were pitched just outside the off stump disappointed one and all, as he finished the five-match Test series with just 190 runs across nine innings. He smashed only one ton in the Perth Test. His scores in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 read: 5, 100*, 7, 11, 3, 36, 5, 17, and 6 against Australia.

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Scott Boland was the man who troubled Virat Kohli most in the Test series, as the Indian batting icon lost his wicket to the seamer four times while Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc dismissed him twice in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.

Meanwhile, Andrew McDonald admitted that dismissing Kohli is never easy, but he credited his bowlers for their precision and relentless approach in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.

It's never easy to get Virat out: Andrew McDonald

Scott Boland won this tactical duel most of the time against Kohli, who has tried to counter Australia’s strategies by stepping out of his crease and attempting different tactics but failed each and every time. And McDonald said that his bowlers, with their remarkable accuracy and clever adjustments, have managed to stay a step ahead, keeping Kohli on the back foot.

Andrew McDonald told reporters during the post-match press conference after the end of Day 2 of the New Year’s Test: “No, it's never easy to get Virat out. I give full credit to the bowlers and the execution of the plan. It's one thing to have a plan, but then to be able to execute that the way that we have to Virat, it's put him under immense pressure.”

McDonald added, “And look, he's tried some things. He's walked out of his crease. He's tried different tactics as well. But, you know, clearly that relentless nature of, in particular, Scotty Bolin in that match-up has been incredibly difficult for him to combat. But he's never an easy wicket, no.”

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Andrew McDonald reacts to Jasprit Bumrah-Sam Konstas incident at the SCG

The Australian coach also shared his views on the Jasprit Bumrah-Sam Konstas incident on Day 1 of the ongoing fifth and final Test at the SCG. McDonald said that there were no fines or punishment, so such an intimidating celebration is acceptable, so they don’t have any issues.

He signed off by saying, “So I'll leave that up to the ICC. And obviously the match referee and the umpires were out there. So, if they thought that it was satisfactory, then that's the, I suppose that's the benchmark we're playing amongst.”