IND vs AUS 2022: "He needs to give himself time in the middle" - Ravi Shastri questions Virat Kohli's shot selection in 1st T20I

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri wasn't impressed by Virat Kohli's shot selection, which led to his early departure in the first T20I against Australia in Mohali on Tuesday, September 20. Shastri believes Kohli can run well and should've taken his time before striking it big.

Kohli, who has an excellent T20 record against Australia, came out to bat in the third over of the innings after Josh Hazlewood dismissed Rohit Sharma. However, the right-handed batter holed out to mid-on, trying to hit a boundary. He lasted seven balls, scoring only two runs.

Speaking on Star Sports about Kohli's wicket, Shastri opined that the former should cease to give away his form after scoring a hundred. The former cricketer feels the talismanic scorer can make up for it later if he focuses on running the ones and twos early on.

Shastri stated:

"The kind of game he has got, there is no need for that kind of shots that early. He has got to get in and run those extra runs. He has got a hundred on his back and he shouldn't waste good form."

He added:

"He needs to give himself time in the middle. A player of that quality doesn't need to go in the air that much, especially on tracks like this. At his best, he is a superb place of the ball, he is a fine placer of the ball. He can hit those big shots in the latter half of the innings. He can churn them out at will, once he is in."

The Delhi-born batter ended his lean form with the bat in India's final game of the Asia Cup 2022, scoring his first T20I hundred against Afghanistan. It was Kohli's first ton in almost three years, and his 71st in international cricket.

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Virat Kohli fails as Australia chase down 209 to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series

Matthew Wade scored a blazing 21-ball 45. (Credits: Twitter)

Despite Kohli's failure, KL Rahul (55), Suryakumar Yadav (46), and Hardik Pandya (71*) sizzled to lift India to 208/6 in the first innings. However, it wasn't enough to prevent a loss.

Australia made a blistering start to their steep chase, with Cameron Green keeping the visitors on track. While the tourists lost Green, Steve Smith, and Glenn Maxwell in the space of a few overs, Tim David, Josh Inglis, and Matthew Wade came up with crucial contributions.

Green, who scored a 30-ball 61 after picking up one wicket, earned the Player of the Match award.