Matthew Hayden points out Virat Kohli’s key to success in BGT 2024-25 4th Test

Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden has urged ace India batter Virat Kohli to resist the temptation to play the deliveries outside the off-stump to rediscover his form ahead of the Boxing Day Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. With the five-Test series tied at 1-1, India and Australia will battle in front of a packed Melbourne crowd, starting December 26.

Kohli has endured a poor run in Tests over the past few years, and his recent form is even more jarring. The 36-year-old has averaged only 25.06 in nine Tests this year, including a sub-par average of 31.50 in the three Tests of the ongoing Australian series.

Kohli's tendency to fish at deliveries outside the off-stump has continued to trouble him against the relentless Aussie bowlers.

Speaking on Star Sports ahead of the Boxing Day Test, Hayden advised Kohli:

"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."

He added:

"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. And I suggest – he gets in line with the ball a bit more and looks to play down the ground a little bit more."

Kohli seemed to return to form with an unbeaten century in the second innings of India's 295-run win in the series opener in Perth.

However, 21 runs at an average of 7 in the previous two Tests have re-opened questions about the veteran batter's Test form.

Matthew Hayden calls on Virat Kohli to replicate Sachin Tendulkar's heroics from 2004

4th Test Australia v India Day Four - Source: Getty

Matthew Hayden also urged Virat Kohli to replicate the legendary Sachin Tendulkar's heroics in Sydney in 2004.

Tendulkar famously resisted playing through the cover region throughout his innings of 241* in the final Test of the 2003-04 Border-Gavaskar Trophy after frequently nicking balls outside the off-stump in the first three Tests.

"I know he (Kohli) has a magnificent cover driver, but so did Sachin Tendulkar, and he put it away for a day. I sat in the gully licking my lips, thinking, you know what, this is magnificent, stubborn batting," Hayden said in the same discussion.

He concluded:

"I didn’t look like getting a catch that day, and yet I felt like I was in the game that entire series. So, Sachin put away the cover drive, worked his way into the innings, hit off his legs beautifully, took on the spin, and addressed the areas of concern. He put a big cross through them and said, ‘Not on my watch today.’ Virat Kohli has got that personality, and I’m sure we’ll see it in Melbourne."

Kohli's Test form has been trending south, with the champion batter scoring only three centuries in 37 Tests since 2020.