IS KOHLI BECOMING PACER COULTERNILE’S BUNNY?
INDIA SKIPPER WAS DISMISSED THRICE BY THE FAST BOWLER IN ODI SERIES
RANCHI: Virat Kohli and his everimproving Indian cricket teammates have made a mockery of their opponents in the last few months. In familiar conditions, they have ensured that the team is not reliant on one player. Yet, it is Kohli’s wicket that remains the most prized one for any rival.
On that front, Nathan CoulterNile can boast of providing the struggling Australian cricket team a silver lining. In the recently-finished five-ODI series, Coulter-Nile dismissed the Indian cricket team captain three times. For a demoralised Australian side, searching for inspiration, it is a big positive. For Kohli, it’s a blemish that he would want to erase before the Australians return home.
Of the three times Kohli fell to Coulter-Nile, twice the dismissals bore a striking resemblance. In the second ODI in Kolkata, Kohli, batting on 92, chose to direct Coulter-Nile towards third-man but got an inside edge and was bowled. In the fourth ODI in Bangalore, Coulter-Nile dismissed Kohli in similar fashion. Off a good length delivery from the Aussie speedster, that was going outside off, Kohli attempted to hit towards thirdman. The ball took an inside edge and hit the stumps. India, ultimately, fell short by 21 runs, chasing 335. Before that Coulter-Nile also got him in the first ODI in Chennai for a duck. Kohli attempted to drive the fast bowler off a wide delivery and was caught by Glenn Maxwell at backward point. It brought back memories of India’s 2014 tour of England when James Anderson and Stuart Broad constantly targeted the Indian batsman’s weakness on the off-side.
Kohli has come a long way but Coulter-Nile again showed his vulnerability. Kohli, despite falling to the same bowler thrice in five matches, finished with 180 runs. Rohit Sharma (296), Ajinkya Rahane (244) and Hardik Pandya (222) scored more than him. With India on a purple patch, the positives will justifiably be highlighted more but with the long-term target being the 2019 World Cup, Kohli would want to negate all weaknesses before the showpiece event in England.
At the Champions Trophy in England, Kohli stayed unbeaten in three of the five matches. But the two matches he got out – against Sri Lanka and against Pakistan in the final – the captain fell to two back of length deliveries that invited him to play outside off.