Virat Kohli top- scored for India in the 3rd ODI vs South Africa © AFP
After the 2-0 defeat in the three-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series and now trailing 1-2 in the ongoing five-match One-Day International (ODIs) series, India genuinely requires introspection ahead of the do and die game at Chennai on Thursday. Indian skipper MS Dhoni even expressed the problems created by an unsettled batting line-up, but he was not sure about their key batsman Virat Kohli’s situation at the moment. Kohli, like Dhoni and the rest of the Indian batsmen is very quick between the wickets but has found himself in a couple of miserable run-outs recently. If India has to bounce back in the remainder of the matches, it would a lot depend on Kohli’s form. Although the latter’s run has been in a fluctuating phase, the limited-overs skipper has immense belief in him. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs South Africa 3rd ODI at Rajkot
“Virat can bat at any number and times he has even opened. So, I don’t think slot really matters for him. I don’t think he has been out of form. He got run out in quite a few games. He batted at No. 4 and he got run out two or three times,” Dhoni said. The No. 3 batsman has either got run out or fell to short balls in the ongoing Freedom Series 2015 against the Proteas. While, the latter problem has been in his game for a while now, it does not look right when a player of Kohli’s calibre is throwing his wicket.
Unfortunately, it has always been Rohit Sharma on the other end when Kohli gets run out. Nowadays, whenever Kohli gets run out the memories of the final ODI against Australia in 2014 in Bengaluru get revived. Rohit compensated Kohli’s wicket by scoring his first-ever double ODI back then.
Against South Africa, Kohli began the series with a decent knock of 43 from 27 balls in the first T20I before getting dismissed of Kyle Abbott’s short delivery, where he did not have the room to open his arms and ended up giving an easy catch to JP Duminy. READ: India vs South Africa ODI series 2015: What changes India can make to win last 2 matches
India toured Bangladesh earlier in the year where bowlers like Taskin Ahmed and Rubel Hossain exposed this shortcoming of Kohli. The pattern of his dismissal to short balls has been same for a while now. Kohli is among those batsmen who hate to stay stagnant on the crease; they prefer moving forward and going for the big shots and in turn get the pressure off them. However, this might not always work; it is usually about that one delivery that can do the job, either for the batsman or for the bowler.
Rubel had dismissed him in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 quarter-final which was similar to the way in which New Zealand’s Hamish Bennett tackled the Delhi cricketer in January 2014. So, more or less the South Africans are well aware of this weakness of Kohli and all they have been doing is giving him more room to repeat those shots.
Just when India desperately wanted their arguably best batsman to stick till the end in order to win the third ODI on Sunday, Kohli did not. And the expressions on Kohli’s face said it all, he regretted the same mistake. India needed another 55 runs from 30 balls with Kohli well settled at the crease, giving hardly any chance to the opponents unlike the other batsmen. Morne Morkel was brought back with a plan, David Miller was placed at the mid-wicket and Morkel bowled short on leg side. And Kohli fell in the trap; he pulled it once again, but failed to surpass the fielder and Miller took a comfortable catch and ending India’s hopes. READ: India vs South Africa 2015, 3rd ODI at Rajkot Highlights
With two more games to go and Chepauk and Wankhede being proper batting tracks, India’s fate revolves around the form of Kohli, and there is no doubt he still can bounce back, overcome his shortcomings and lead India to a superb ODI series win.
(Sakshi Gupta, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a sports fanatic whose mantra in life is “do only what you enjoy.” Her Twitter handle is @sakshi2929)