"However great a player you might be, you need to suppress your ego at times" - Rahul Dravid lauds Virat Kohli's century in 4th IND vs AUS Test

Rahul Dravid has lauded Virat Kohli for keeping his ego aside and playing as per the demands of the situation in the recently concluded fourth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Kohli scored 186 runs off 364 deliveries in India's first-innings total of 571 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The game ended in a tame draw, with Rohit Sharma and Co. clinching the series 2-1.

During a post-match interview with Star Sports, Dravid was asked about his thoughts on Virat Kohli scoring a century with an old-fashioned Test match approach, to which he responded:

"The one very good thing we got to see here was that however great a player you might be, you need to suppress your ego at times, which is why you score 75 centuries. As coaches, we get frustrated at times. I listen a lot that this is my style and I will play like this only."

The Indian team's head coach praised Kohli for showing a different facet of his game, explaining:

"In this match, a big player showed that if the situation is like that and the team is going slightly defensive and not giving you boundaries, you can score a century while playing differently and playing for the team. You hit only five boundaries in the first 100 runs."

Kohli was chosen as the Player of the Match for his 186-run knock. He revealed at the post-match presentation that the team had to forego their previously planned attacking approach on the fourth morning as they were a batter short, with Shreyas Iyer unavailable due to a back issue.

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"He could have gotten frustrated" - Rahul Dravid on Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli strung together a crucial 162-run sixth-wicket partnership with Axar Patel. [P/C: BCCI]

Rahul Dravid pointed out that Virat Kohli could have easily thrown his wicket away in an attempt to take the attack to the Aussie bowlers, observing:

"He could have gotten frustrated. He could have said that he would hit and dominate but he knew that the team did not require that in that situation. This is the specialty of great players."

The former Indian skipper drew parallels between Kohli's hundred in Ahmedabad and Rohit Sharma's ton in the first Test in Nagpur, elaborating:

"We saw Rohit Sharma's hundred as well in the Nagpur game. He scored quick runs on the first day and then when he came on the second day, Australia put pressure on him, and he remained a little defensive. He bided his time and then scored a century."

Dravid concluded by stating that he had seen similar traits in Sachin Tendulkar earlier. He highlighted that the highest run-getter in Test cricket used to compile big hundreds while concentrating on singles despite his ability to play the big shots.