India were thrashed by 124 runs in the 1st ODI against the West Indies at Kochi on Wednesday but the worrying factor was the dismal of out of Virat Kohli.
India were thrashed by 124 runs in the 1st ODI against the West Indies at Kochi on Wednesday but the worrying factor was the dismal form of Virat Kohli. Since the England series, Kohli’s dry spell with the bat is ongoing with the dismissal off Jerome Taylor.
Moreover, the Delhi lad was out the same manner (caught in slips) as in England to James Anderson. With the World Cup 2015 round the corner as well as the Australian tour; Kohli needs to buck up if he has to prove India’s championship status on the world stage.
Former cricketers and pundits were concerned about Kohli. Former BCCI interim chief, Sunil Gavaskar was one of them. Speaking to a news channel, the former skipper of the Indian team suggested that the vice-captain should be pushed lower down the order.
“When somebody who regulary churns out 100s is not even getting to 10s or 20s, it is a huge cause of concern. I think Kohli really has got a lot of technical issues and the Indian management should consider to drop him to No.4 or maybe No.5. You can’t be stubborn in one-day cricket and think there is only one way to go about it. There has to be flexibility in the batting order,” he said.
If observed closely, Virat’s problems at the crease are down to the moving new ball on the off-stump. Thus, Kohli looks to nudge the ball away from the off-stump and hand an easy catch to the slips or the wicket-keeper.
At the Kochi ODI, Virat recorded his ninth single-digit score and thus, the top order now looks more futile even if the former gets some runs behind in this series. The likes of Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle are waiting Down Under and know how to prepare against this inexperienced Indian team. But that’s where Ravi Shastri walks in. The current Indian Team Director could motivate the lads especially Kohli and could work upon the latter’s batting faults.
“I know Virat. No one hurts more than him. No one has work ethics better than him. No one works harder than him. I see him bouncing back. I see him bouncing back big time. He’ll be the better player once he comes back and scores runs. This experience will stand him in good stead,” the former India captain said in a press conference held recently.
There’s still a long way to go for this Indian team to prove their numero uno status but for Virat Kohli, the time starts now or face the consequence.
