Virat Kohli is the talk of the town in another India vs Australia Test series, but the conversation is about his downfall in red-ball cricket. Although Kohli scored a hundred in the second innings of the Perth Test, the remaining three innings have been ordinary. He is not able to handle deliveries that are pitched a bit short, and his off-stump issues have again surfaced.

In the second innings of the pink-ball Test, he went for a drive on a ball that was pitched at the fifth stump and ended up giving a catch to Australian wicket-keeper Alex Carey. It was not an excellent delivery by Scott Boland, but Kohli made it look good by playing a loose shot.

Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden explained the reason behind the concern about the form of the star batter.

“He is stuck in his mind and doesn’t know where his fourth stump is. This was not the case when he played on previous tours in Australia. The ball by Scott Boland was at the fifth stump line, and he could have left it easily, but the doubt in his mind is making him play these deliveries.

“When you are not sure and don’t know what needs to be done, you end up losing your wicket. The wickets weren’t easy for the batters in the first two Tests, but to score runs, you should be 100 percent sure of your off stump,” Matthew Hayden said on Star Sports.

Sunil Gavaskar said that a long break and growing age can impact performance. “You shouldn’t forget that he scored a hundred in the first Test. When you are away from the sport for a long time, you tend to get rusty. And with growing age, the time is needed to regain the touch,” he said.