No reason to disbelieve MS Dhoni on Kohli-Dhawan rift rumours: Sunil Gavaskar

India will be looking to bounce back strongly n the 3rd Test at Melbourne

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has said that the Indian team will need to show a great deal of mental fortitude in order to stage a comeback in the ongoing Test series against Australia.

The Indians are currently 2-0 down in the four-match series and will have to win the final two Tests in Melbourne and Sydney to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

"The Indian players will have to lift themselves up mentally, more than anything else, because they are 2-0 down," Gavaskar told NDTV.

"If they can do that, if they put up enough runs on the board and put Australia under pressure, anything can happen," he added.

During the pre-match press conference on Thursday, MS Dhoni told reporters that there was no truth to the stories of there being a rift between Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli, and the former India opener said that one shouldn’t doubt the words of the captain in such matters.

"I think to doubt the Indian skipper's words is not the right thing to do. If he says there was nothing, there was nothing," he said.

Gavaskar also said that Melbourne and Sydney are India’s best chances, considering that the wickets in these two grounds offer turn for the spinners.

"Melbourne as well as Sydney, where the ball can turn, are the two best opportunities for India.

"(But) India would really have to go out there and give more than a 100 percent to give themselves a chance," he concluded.