Former Indian wicket-keeper bat Parthiv Patel has backed Virat Kohli to win the Player of the Series award in the upcoming ODIs against Australia. Kohli will return to action after last taking part in the Indian Premier League when he guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their maiden title.
Patel reckons the eyes will be on the veteran duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to see if they have the right match fitness. While Rohit has shed off some weight in the recent past, Kohli has always worked hard on his fitness.
While Rohit Sharma has amassed 11,168 runs in 273 ODI matches at an impressive average of 48.77, Kohli has aggregated 14,181 runs in 302 ODI games at a stunning average of 57.88; thus, their records speak for themselves.
“This question will always be raised when you play after a long time. It will take Virat and Rohit some time. No matter how much you practice, when you go to the ground wearing an India T-shirt, a lot of things take over. Obviously, Rohit has worked a lot on his fitness, and we know how Virat keeps working on his fitness, so that question will never be asked,” Parthiv Patel said on Star Sports.
“The question is about match fitness, as to how you manage yourself on the ground. There is no doubt that they will get used to the atmosphere, but match fitness will definitely be a question. However, whenever questions are asked, Virat Kohli has given solid answers. So I have a prediction. In this three-ODI series, you might see Virat Kohli becoming the Man of the Series,” he added.
Both Virat and Roht have impressive records against Australia in ODIs but Patel highlighted that the real preparation will start when the duo will reach the Australian shores.
“Many times you play against a team against whom you consistently score runs, and that’s the case with both of them. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have scored a lot of runs against Australia, not only in India, but also in Australia, but as Aakash (Chopra) and Sanjay Bangar said, it’s right that you cannot prepare for Perth sitting here,” he replied.
The first ODI between India and Australia will be played at Perth on Sunday.
