Pressure on Virat Kohli

Beating the Aussies Down Under is never easy. The last time India toured Australia, they visitors were very good in the shorter formats.

Times have changed. In a short span, Team India does not look the same side which did so well on their previous tour.

Reasons for it are not hard to find.

You can blame Covid-19, you can blame the bio bubble, you can blame anything. Eventually, Team India, led by Virat Kohli, will need to blame himself and accept responsibility for his team’s huge loss in the first ODI in Sydney.

The pace of matches is so fast, one Sunday, the second ODI will be staged.

Clearly, the momentum has swung the host’s way as they batted, bowled and fielded like true professionals they are known to be.

 Playing in the Aussie summer is never easy. To say the Aussies prepared hard for the this tour would be stating the obvious. The players who shone with the bat on Friday were Aaron Finch, Steve Smith, David Warner and Glen Maxwell. Mind you, these are familiar names who figured in the IPL in the UAE.

As for the Indians, the IPL hangover persists and not having played ODI cricket in recent times stood out. Time and again it has been pointed out that playing in the IPL is one thing and preparing for a bilateral cricket series is so different.

The IPL suits the Indian players, the Indian cricket board (BCCI), team franchises and also the plethora of sponsors and TV right holder.

But then, it does not necessarily suit Indian cricket at large. Virat Kohli has been dealing with seeming distractions and there is something amiss vis a vis his equation with Rohit Sharma. The Sharmaji episode may baffle a few but when the team coach Ravi Shastri and BCCI president have said that Rohit Sharma is unfit, how is it possible that the skipper did not know about it!

On Friday, Kohli flopped with the bat while Shikhar Dhawan and Hardik Pandya showed that they had a large heart to succeed and score runs. Sadly, the mammoth total of 374 which India were chasing was like climbing Mount Everest. India were stuck at the base camp in the ultimate analysis against quality bowling from Zampa and Hazlewood.

As for the Indian bowling, it flopped and has made tongues wag. Five bowlers were simply inadequate and the lack of more bowling options stood magnified. To be sure, the lack of part-time bowlers is hurting India, among other factors.

With the momentum snatched away, India need to think differently and play like professionals. Having bombed at the Box Office in the ICC World Cup last year in England, they need to show they are not a meek side.

For Kohli and Guru Ravi Shastri, the coming weeks will be one of intense scrutiny. From ODIs to T20s and eventually the Tests, India will be tested very hard. The start has been inauspicious and shaky. Sunday will be another big test in the 50-over format where the Aussies are so hard to beat at home.