“He sort of feels like he leaves a lot” - Scott Boland’s blunt take on dismissing Virat Kohli in BGT 2024-25 5th Test

Veteran Australian seamer Scott Boland has opened up on their plans to dismiss Virat Kohli in the ongoing Test series. With the Victorian dismissing the right-handed batter three times in the series now, he suggested that they seem to know Kohli will go for the ball outside off-stump eventually.

Day 1 of the fifth and final Test in Sydney was the third time Boland had dismissed Kohli in the series and the 36-year-old has nicked behind to the keeper or slip cordon in all the instances. The former captain had been quite disciplined in his innings initially but lost patience in the second session.

Speaking on Fox Cricket, the 35-year-old, who took four wickets on Day 1 in Sydney, stated:

"We've got pretty set plans on how we want to bowl to him. He sort of feels like he leaves a lot and then he wants to play the ball once he gets in. So once he gets in, we just want to switch our lines a little bit to fifth stump and it's working at the moment."

Kohli began the series with a single-figure in the first innings in Perth but bounced back with a hundred in the second. However, his highest score ever since is only 36 and he now has a series aggregate of 184 runs in eight innings at 26.28.

"It's quite difficult" - Rishabh Pant on facing Scott Boland

Scott Boland (Image Credits: Getty)

Team India keeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who has become Boland's victim twice in the series, revealed that his challenging lines and lengths make it seem like he has played plenty of Tests. He said in the post-day press conference, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:

"I think he's been an amazing bowler the way he bowls line and length, especially in Test cricket. It's quite difficult because he's so used to playing in these conditions and you don't feel like he's playing his first initial matches, it feels like he's been there for a long period of time."

Pant top-scored for India with 40 on Day 1 in Sydney under tricky batting conditions to propel them to 185. The tourists ended the day on a high as Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Usman Khawaja to leave Australia trailing by 176 runs.