Legendary Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy wants his country’s pace attack to employ every strategy, from targeting Virat Kohli’s front foot to “body bashing” him with short-pitched deliveries, to get the Indian stalwart out in the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy, beginning in Perth on Friday.
Healy has urged the formidable Australian pace trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc to try and put Kohli on the back-foot.
Ian Healy
“The first matchup I’m looking at is how our quicks can bowl to Kohli, and I think they should target his front pad quite often,” Healy told SEN Radio.
Healy, who played 119 Tests scoring nearly 4,500 runs, feels the Aussie quicks should not target Kohli’s front foot far too often. “Don’t do it every ball because he’ll get used to it… it’s the impact ball that has to be on the front pad after he is set up with seam.”
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If the tactic doesn’t work, Healy wants the bowlers to target Kohli’s body.
“If that’s [front-foot tactic] not working, body bash. Bowl at the back armpit, that’s the right arm as a right-handed batsman… and it’s got to be hot,” Healy said.
“Have him jumping at times if he wants to ride those deliveries—ducking, weaving or bending backwards. Get that short leg position right next to him on the leg side and if you need a bumper, it’s got to go at the badge.
“So that’s the second tactic, body bashing,” opined Healy.
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