Matthew Hayden Backs Kohli To Shine In Boxing Day Test, Gives 'Sachin Tendulkar' Advice

Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden has called for Virat Kohli to resist the urge to hit the ball outside the off stump and called upon the example of one of the finest innings played by Sachin Tendulkar during the 2003-04 Border Gavaskar Trophy. Barring Kohli's unbeaten century in the second innings of the first Test at Perth, the 36-year old has struggled with the bat and has constantly been caught with the ball outside the off-stump. Hayden believes the track at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the venue for the Boxing Day Test, will be suitable for batters and backs the Indian great to come back to form if he can resist the urge to slash at the ball outside the off-stump.

"There could have been magnificent wins, there could have been losses, there could have been spinning conditions—I mean, you can list off a hundred different areas where Virat Kohli, over his magnificent career, would have batted. But in Melbourne, he's going to have a good batting track. What he does need to do is find a way to continue staying at the crease. Flashing outside the off-stump is something that he's going to have to resist,” said Hayden to Star Sports.

Hayden went on to recall one of the greatest Test innings played by Sachin when the fiery Australian bowling attack of Brett Lee, Andy Bichel, and Jason Gillespie targeted the same areas in hopes of finding the outside edge. What followed was an incredible display of resilience as the ‘Master Blaster' went on to score an unbeaten 241, an innings laced with 33 boundaries but none of them came in the cover region.

“And I suggest - he gets in line with the ball a bit more and looks to play down the ground a little bit more... I know he's a magnificent cover driver, but so was Sachin