India v Australia ODI: Sensational Virat Kohli let down by his team-mates

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  • Virat Kohli.

    Skipper Virat Kohli was almost a one-man army for India in the third ODI against Australia at Ranchi on Friday as the hosts fell to a 32-run defeat.

    India were set a challenging target of 314 by the tourists but they ultimately fell short by some distance despite the brilliance of Kohli.

    The 30-year-old registered his 41st ODI ton in India’s total 281 and almost conjured a rabbit out of the hat for the hosts in the face of a dominant Aussie display.

    Here, we take a closer look at Kohli’s sensational batting display at Ranchi.

    STATISTICS

    RUNS: 123

    BALLS FACED: 95

    BOUNDARIES: 16

    SIXES: 1

    STRIKE-RATE: 129.47

    30-SECOND REPORT

    With India chasing a stiff target of 314, Kohli was called into action early with Shikhar Dhawan falling in the fourth over.

    Following a top-order collapse that saw India reduced to 27-3, Kohli formed brief partnerships with MS Dhoni and then Kedar Jadhav to resurrect the hosts’ innings.

    The India skipper looked to be in magnificent touch as wickets continued to fall at the other end and brought up his 41st ODI ton off just 85 deliveries before stepping up another gear.

    The right-hander looked to be single-handedly dragging India towards victory before he was dismissed by Adam Zampa for the second time in the series. With him, disappeared any hopes of an India win.

    GOT RIGHT

    Nobody orchestrates a run-chase better than Kohli in limited-overs cricket and the India skipper put on another master-class at Ranchi on Friday despite the eventual loss.

    While the rest of India’s top-order batsmen crumbled under the scoreboard pressure, Kohli looked to be batting on a different surface altogether. As has been the case in many of his match-winning knocks, Kohli barely played a shot in anger before he breached three figures.

    That he brought up his century off just 85 deliveries without playing a single risky shot speaks volumes about Kohli’s craftsmanship. All of his 14 boundaries prior to reaching his ton were completely controlled and it is only after he crossed the 100-run mark did Kohli go on the offensive and strike his first six.

    GOT WRONG

    While the blame for India’s loss rests primarily on the shoulders of the remaining top-order batsmen, Kohli will be disappointed to once again give away his wicket to spin.

    For the third time in Australia’s ongoing limited-overs tour of India, Kohli was dismissed by Zampa who now seems to have the number of the star batsman.

    It is the continuation of a worrying trend for Kohli against leg-spinners. It was Adil Rashid who troubled him in England and now Zampa has done the same in both Australia and in India.

    It is not to say that Kohli isn’t a good player of spin but he always seems susceptible to falling to the slower bowlers despite looking in complete control otherwise.

    VERDICT – 9/10

    If not for the failure of the rest of the batsmen, we could very well be lauding Kohli for anchoring another successful run-chase. The India skipper was the only batsman to put his hand up in a challenging chase with his ruthless ability to convert starts into centuries showing no signs of abating.

    At this rate, Kohli could very well topple Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI tons by the end of the year which would be an astonishing achievement.

    Kohli looked a cut above the batsmen from both sides on Friday but unfortunately for India, he was let down poorly by the rest of his team-mates. The perfectionist that he is, Kohli will be disappointed to not carry on until the end but he can still hold his head high.

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