January 1, New Delhi In the current Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, former Australia captain Michael Clarke has praised the Pat Cummins-led team for carrying out their “disciplined plans” to eliminate the talismanic Virat Kohli.

As seen by his scores of 7, 11, 3, 36, and 5 in the next five innings in Adelaide, Brisbane, and Melbourne, Kohli hasn’t accomplished much, even if he scored an undefeated century in the second innings during India’s 295-run victory in Perth. The fact that Kohli has been dismissed six times in the current series for chasing balls outside the off stump is even more concerning.

“I believe Australia bowled well because they had a well-defined strategy and carried it out. However, I believe Virat is the kind of player that really flourishes with bat on ball in every format, and that gives him confidence. He’s trying to hit it. Because he is such a terrific player, he has never been a huge leaver, but there has always been that mistake outside off stump that many teams have targeted.

“He scores runs on that leg side for fun when you go too straight. Thus, the Australians have performed well. It was difficult for Virat to resist pushing with that delivery. I believe that there have been several types of outside-off nicking, including front-foot and back-foot. In my opinion, Pat Cummins has made excellent use of Starc’s left arm across, which is a fantastic weapon. Virat, however, will be let down.

“He seemed to be in fine form even in the first innings prior to that run out, and he scored 100 in the second innings of the first Test. He made Australia come to him, and I thought it was extremely disciplined. After that ran out, there was a concentration gap. Thus, I would want to acknowledge the Australian bowlers. However, Clarke said on ESPN’s Around The Wicket broadcast, “I think Virat will be disappointed because I think he’s in good nick.”

For his shoulder clash with newcomer Sam Konstas on the first day of play in Melbourne, Kohli was also handed a penalty point and fined 20% of his match fee. Aaron Finch, the former white-ball captain of Australia, feels that Kohli is picking up battles on his own in this series.

Virat has always, in my opinion, flourished under pressure and when his back was against the wall. At this point, it seems like he’s attempting to do the same. He’s attempting to be hostile. Since he performs best when he senses that someone is approaching him, he is virtually seeking to start a battle.

“He displays all of his skills at that point. He nearly seems to be pressuring others to share his feelings. And in this series, we haven’t yet seen his finest side. However, as Pup said, he looked stunning during that first inning in Melbourne and seemed to be unable to get out. However, Finch praised Australia’s bowling performance.

Ahead of the fifth and final Test match against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground, which begins on January 3, the visitors will be hoping that Kohli finds his former self as India trails 2-1 in the five-match series.