Jadeja lashes out at Virat Kohli's 'doubters' after Perth classic: 'They can rest in peace now'

Virat Kohli came into the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on the back of some forgettable form in Test cricket, especially by his standards. However, he gave a glimpse of what he can do by smashing an unbeaten century in the second innings of the first Test in Perth, which went a long way in helping India beat Australia by a whopping 295 runs. Former batter Ajay Jadeja has said that Kohli's innings shows that players of his stature can never really be questioned.

“The name itself says it all. If there were doubters, they can rest in peace now because geniuses aren't born overnight,” Jadeja told ANI. “It takes years - it's the solidity, it's the perseverance, the commitment that you have seen over 15 years. People start judging sportsmen by one event or by one series. It just shows then that never to judge a genius.”

‘Jaiswal's journey shows you the power of sport’

Jadeja also hailed Yashasvi Jaiswal's extraordinary showing in Perth. Jaiswal fell for a duck in what was his first senior match in Australia in the first innings. However, he then went on to score a mammoth 161 off 297 balls in the second innings which set India up for the big victory. “Imagine getting out on a duck first innings. It also shows you the power of sport that you never give up. You may have scored a zero. You now have scored 161,” said Jadeja.

Jaiswal has scored a whopping 1568 runs in just 15 Test matches thus far at an average of 58.07 with four centuries and eight fities. In this year alone, he has scored 1280 runs thus far in 12 Tests at an average of 58.18 with three centuries and seven half-centuries. "I just hope he keeps reminding himself and says, the zero could be around the corner, but he's an amazing player. It's been great to watch, and I think the journey that he's had in his life is an inspirational story. I think it's a long journey that he's on and he's had a great start," he said.