‘When you have Virat Kohli and Steve Smith saying…’ – Alex Carey outlines Virat Kohli and Steve Smith’s advise during WTC 2023 Final

Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Carey stated that Indian star batter Virat Kohli and his teammate Steve Smith criticized his reverse sweep shot during the World Test Championship (WTC) final. As his idols disagreed, he pondered lowering the shot.

Carey has recently been getting caught while attempting reverse sweeps. Several of his dismissals occurred in this fashion when he was dismissed during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India earlier this year, and as if that wasn’t enough, he also got out using the same shot during the first innings of the ICC World Test Championship Final. However, he quickly corrected it, and in Australia’s second innings in the World Test Championship final, he skipped an entire reverse sweep. He contributed to his team’s triumph by contributing a key inning with 66 runs as an outcome during the second innings.

The 31-year-old played the reverse sweep shot 17 times in 2023 and was unsuccessful on four occasions, the most recent being against Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja during the ICC WTC final. “There was no need to play that at The Oval in the first innings,” Carey said of that dismissal, on Cricket.com.au as quoted by Hindustan Times.

He confessed that he didn’t need to hit that shot in the ICC World Test Championship Final, and he waved that you need to pay heed to veterans like Virat Kohli and Steve Smith, who advised avoiding a reverse sweep. “When you have Virat Kohli and Steve Smith saying, ‘what are you doing that for?’, you probably listen to them,” he added further.

 I didn’t get one away but I probably saw opportunities to score elsewhere: Alex Carey

In the ongoing first test of the Ashes, the left-handed batter has faced Moeen Ali’s 34 balls. The Australian gloveman struck four boundaries and a six against Moeen’s bowling, yet only hit one sweep shot, which fetched two runs. He cited an explanation for when he hit that shot before holding it for some time.  “The opportunity I saw after 50 yesterday was (Ben) Duckett came into point and there was no one boundary-riding out there. I didn’t get one away but I probably saw opportunities to score elsewhere.”