Kohli's 5th Stump Struggles - Is It Time For Him To Emulate Tendulkar's Famous SCG 241?

Wagon wheel of Sachin Tendulkar in SCG and Virat Kohli driving 6th stump delivery [Source: @CoverDrive001, @Cric_B8/x.com]

India is currently touring Australia for a five-match Test series. After the first three matches, the series is currently levelled at 1-1. Things are setting up for the high octane Boxing Day Test in Melbourne scheduled to start from 26th December. As things are setting up for a fiery clash, India will be hoping that their most important cog, Virat Kohli regains his peak and comes him a strong show in the game.

Over the last couple of matches, one of the biggest nemesis of Kohli's career has comeback to haunt him, poking at the fifth stump balls. In the first three matches of the series, we have seen that the Indian talismanic batter has been dismissed three times while lending his bat to a ball on the fifth or sixth stump line. 

This problem has often triggered the fans to compare Kohli with the iconic SCG knock of Sachin Tendulkar. The great Indian batter did not play a single cover drive during that knock and gave a great testament of his patience and determination. So, is it that time in his career where Virat Kohli shows such determination and proves himself as one of the greats to have ever graced the game. 

Significance Of Sachin Tendulkar's 241*

Sachin Tendulkar always enjoyed playing cover drives and it was one of his favourite and most productive shots. However, during India's tour of Australia in 2003-04, the Great batter was trapped a few times while trying to drive a fifth or sixth stump delivery. This brought out the determination in him and Sachin decided to play against his instincts and totally ignore the shot during the next innings at SCG.

Tendulkar scored 241 runs in the first innings of the match off 436 deliveries. During his stay in the middle, Sachin hit 33 boundaries but there was no cover drive involved in that. The thing to note in this knock was the determination that the batter showed along with dedication of the great batter. The fact that he completely curbed his instincts to play the shot that comes naturally magnifies his greatness as a batter. 

Ahead of the match, Sachin had two ducks under his belt in the series with his highest score being 44. The zeal in Tendulkar to contribute for the team's cause also comes to the fore through this stellar knock by the batter. 

Why Kohli Needs To Step Up To The Challenge? 

Kohli's Test career has been on the decline for the last two years. He has found it hard to adjust to the longest format of the game and as a result his struggles are evident in the red ball format. 

Virat Kohli getting dismissed by Hazlewood in the 3rd Test [Source: @Cric_B8/x.com]

Even in this series, Virat Kohli has found it hard to get going and has lacked consistency. He has only one century in the series and it is probably the best time that Kohli steps up to the challenge and proves himself as one of the best in the business. 

Challenges For Kohli

• His back foot game is good when it comes to playing square of the wicket. However, when it comes to driving, Kohli is a step behind Sachin Tendulkar. This will pose a challenge for him as Tendulkar shifted his game without troubles while cutting out on cover drives.
• One of the major challenges for Kohli has been the fact that he has tried to drive the full deliveries rather than waiting for the half-volleys. This is the reason that his failure rate is more in case of drives. 

What Changes Can Kohli Make To His Technique?

Much like Sachin Tendulkar in the 2003-04 series, Kohli is struggling while playing the drive to fifth-sixth stump deliveries. Thus Kohli can learn from that iconic of Sachin and curb his instincts to drive balls that are on the full length and outside the off stump. This is the time that he needs to start leaving balls outside the off stump and wait for the bowlers to attack the stumps. That would be ideal for Kohli to catch the bowlers while they are in his zone and make the most of it scoring effectively and leaving an impact on the team's score. 

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