India vs Australia | Only way to stay physically fit is through match practice, asserts Sunil Gavaskar

“Virat Kohli's sublime century was no surprise from the moment he drove Nathan Coulter Nile gloriously straight to the boundary. He followed it up with some other sumptuous strokes that even had the hard as nails Australians appreciating the skills of the Indian skipper. What was noticeable though was that even the super fit Kohli had to ask for drinks a couple of times other than the usual drinks interval. That can happen because of the break he had been given. While such periods are good for mental rest and to refresh yourself, the only way to stay physically fit is through match practice,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for TOI.

“If there is a stretch where there has been no action, then irrespective of the amount of time one spends in the gym, one can never replicate a match situation, where a player is also sweating it out in the sun and losing hydration and at the same time getting mentally tired reacting to the match situation as it develops.”

“With Rohit Sharma falling for a rare duck and Dhawan and Rayudu not capitalising on good starts, Kohli had to also rebuild the innings which Vijay Shankar helped him to do in a most enterprising manner. The more he plays, the more belief he will get that he belongs at the international level. This is such an important aspect for newcomers who are never sure if they have crossed the bridge from domestic cricket to international cricket. Shankar was given the huge task of bowling the final over of the innings and defending 11 runs when in his only previous over he had conceded 13,” the former India captain said.