Sanjay Bangar shares key tips to help Virat Kohli handle Nathan Lyon in Test series vs Aus

Former Indian batting coach Sanjay Bangar advised Virat Kohli not to repeat two things against Nathan Lyon as India set to host Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy starting from February 9 in Nagpur. Virat Kohli's struggle against spinner has been quite evident as he has fallen pretty cheaply in red-ball cricket quite a few times. 

Sanjay Bangar shares plans

Virat Kohli remains one of the most sought-after batsmen in the world currently but he has failed to live up to the expectations in the Test matches off late, especially against the spinners. Australia would be sensing blood and they will unleash Nathan Lyon in a bid to unsettle the 34-year-old. In an interview with Star Sports, Bangar insisted Virat should step out a lot against the spinner and he should change his approach to get used to Nathan Lyon's trickery. "Virat Kohli does not do two things due to which he faces a lot of difficulties against Nathan Lyon. One, he does not believe much in stepping out, he plays more from the crease and then he does not play the sweep as well.

"So where will he score runs against Nathan Lyon? So he will have to change his approach slightly. We have already seen in this season that he has used his feet slightly more, although he might have done it in the shorter format. He will have to do that."

Bangar further highlighted that Virat needs to shift his off-stump guard to counter Lyon's threat on Indian pitches. "He (Kohli) will have to move a little towards an off-stump guard so that he is able to cover the line better and he should not allow Nathan Lyon to bowl too many deliveries. He will have to take a slightly aggressive approach, then only you can threaten him slightly.

India vs Australia, four-match Test series: Check the full schedule

India vs Australia 1st Test from February 9 to 13 at VCA Stadium, Nagpur

India vs Australia 2nd Test from February 17 to 21 at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi

India vs Australia 3rd Test from March 1 to 5 at HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala

India vs Australia 4th Test from March 9 to 13 at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad