After suffering crushing defeat against New Zealand in the three-match home Test series, team India has found itself under enormous pressure in the lead up to the high-profile Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which begins on November 22. The most talked about subject since India’s defeat has been the form of Indian stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who remained ineffective in their attack.
As India prepare hard to challenge Australia in Australia, former Australian cricketer Kerry O'Keeffe feels that Australia will target Indian skipper Rohit Sharma as this has been their tactic over the years. Rohit Sharma, however, is expected to miss the first Test in Perth due to personal reasons.
"Rohit Sharma may miss one or two Tests, but he is the captain, and Australia always tries to torpedo the visiting captain. It's been a tactic they've used forever, and I think they'll go very hard at Rohit Sharma," O'Keeffe told Fox Sports.
O'Keeffe also focused on dip in Kohli’s form, emphasising that his form could determine the result of the five-match series.
"Kohli, who has worried them over the years, what a stunning player he's been; but in sport, if you sense that the king of the jungle is slightly weaker, you poke a bit of cheek at him," he said.
"I'm fascinated to see what Virat Kohli ends up with at the end of the summer. It could be the decisive point in the whole summer. If he has an absolutely blazing series, India could win," he added.