Virat Kohli told to decompress himself for Border-Gavaskar Trophy by Greg Chappell

Former Australian cricketer Greg Chappell opened up about star batter Virat Kohli’s form ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 series. Greg Chappell recalled a conversation he had with Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar, adding that batters need to think like young men to regain form.

Virat Kohli has been going through a lean patch in Test cricket in recent times. The right-handed batter managed to score one half-century in the recent five home Test matches against Bangladesh and New Zealand. Virat needs to regain form in the upcoming five-match Test series against Australia.

Virat Kohli Is A Champion Player - Greg Chappell

In a conversation with Boria Majumdar, Greg Chappell called Virat Kohli a champion player who aims to perform well in big matches and tournaments. He said Kohli wants to perform well in every competition he plays in.

"Virat is a champion player, and the big matches will be the ones that he aims for. He wants to perform well in every tournament that he plays in," Chappell said.

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"If you have to bat like a young man, you'll have to think like a young man" - #GregChappell recalls interaction with @sachin_rt.

He says all @imVkohli needs is to freshen himself up and he'll perform like before. @BoriaMajumdar @Wowmomo4u #BGT2024 #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/aXYMbSnjrC

— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) November 10, 2024

Sachin Asked 'Why Does Batting Ger More Difficult?' - Greg Chappell

Greg Chappell shared a story about a conversation with Sachin Tendulkar. Chappell revealed that Sachin asked why batting gets more difficult with age. He advised Sachin to think like he did in his youth, without overthinking the complexities of the game.

"Soon after I started coaching India, I was in my room in the hotel, and the phone rang, and it was Sachin, and Sachin said, 'Can I come and talk to you?' And so, yes, he came down, and the question he asked was, 'Why does batting get more difficult? Surely it should get easier.' And I said, 'Not really.

"When you're younger, you're just playing the game; you see the ball, and you hit the ball. You're just looking to score runs. You don't think about very much else around that."

"As you get older, the opposition come to know a little bit more about you and they understand you a lot better and they know how to bowl to you and what sort of fields to set. And I said to him, 'If you want to bat like you did as a young man, then you have to think like you did as a young man.'"

Virat Kohli Has Seen Everything That Can Happen - Greg Chappell

The former Australia captain said that Virat Kohli just needs to refresh himself mentally to perform at his best again. He stated that Kohli has experienced everything in his career. Chappell emphasized that mental freshness is key to success at the top level.

"I have no doubt that Virat is in that stage of his cricket career where he's been around a lot. He's seen everything that can happen. The opposition know him inside out. And he also knows just how hard it is to perform at that level."

So it takes a special effort, and that special effort sometimes is just to try and decompress yourself, let go of a lot of the information that you've taken on board along the journey, and just keep it simple. The other thing is that you need to come into these games fresh mentally. So he will know what he needs to do to freshen himself up."

The first Test match between India and Australia will be played at the Perth Stadium in Perth, starting on November 22. Virat Kohli has a good record against Australia on their soil. He has scored 1,352 runs in 13 Tests at an average of 54.08, including six centuries.

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