"He could have a really big series" - Rahul Dravid on Virat Kohli's century in 1st BGT 2024-25 Test 

Former Team India skipper and head coach Rahul Dravid has backed Virat Kohli to score big runs in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against Australia. He mentioned that the senior batter scoring runs in the opening encounter itself is an ominous sign, giving hints of things to come.

Kohli got the monkey off his back with his 100*-run knock in the second innings of the Perth Test. The seasoned campaigner hit a Test ton after a gap of 491 days.

Dravid pointed out that Kohli looked in great touch even during India's tour of South Africa last year. The right-hander was India's highest run-getter in the tour, finishing with 172 runs across four innings.

Speaking about Kohli's ton in Perth, here's what Dravid said during a chat with Star Sports:

"He's been batting really well, even in South Africa six months ago when we are there, I thought he was batting really well on a couple of difficult wickets. It's just nice for him to be able to get that hundred at the start of the series. I think he could have a really big series."

Yashasvi Jaiswal was the other Indian batter to register a century in the Perth Test. The southpaw dominated the Australian bowlers, scoring 161 runs in the second innings. Lauding Jaiswal for his stunning batting exploits, Dravid said:

"Jaiswal has been going from strength to strength. It's hard to imagine that a year and a half ago he made his debut in the West Indies. It's not long ago that he actually started. And to go to Australia, to play in Perth, and in your first Test match, get a hundred in Australian soil, I don't think many people have been able to do that. I'm sure someone like him, with his hunger, his desire, his drive, he is only going to keep getting better and better."

India clinched a comprehensive 295-run victory over Australia in the Perth Test to go 1-0 up in the five-match series.

---

"The number of times he does it for us is absolutely incredible" - Rahul Dravid on Jasprit Bumrah's stellar performance in Perth Test

Rahul Dravid also reserved high praise for Jasprit Bumrah, India's stand-in captain for the Perth Test. He emphasized that the speedster has consistently delivered under pressure for the side, that too with great consistency.

Bumrah was the Player of the Match in the encounter. He bagged a stunning five-wicket haul in the first innings and took three important wickets in the final essay. Praising Bumrah for leading the team from the front, Dravid said:

"If you talk about someone take a game by the scruff of the neck and absolutely crack it open, that was exactly what Bumrah did with that spell in that first evening and then even in the second innings he picked up a lot of crucial wickets as well."

"Being captain, leading from the front, taking the game and saying, 'Give it to me and I'll show you what I can do and how I can turn it around.' Brilliant from Bumrah and he has just shown it so much in all formats of the game. The number of times he does it for us is absolutely incredible and hats off to him," Dravid added.

Skipper Rohit Sharma has joined the Indian team ahead of the upcoming pink ball Test against Australia. The second match of the series will be played in Adelaide from December 6 onwards.