A terrible mix-up between Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal paved the way for Australia to take the lead in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Both batsmen had a partnership of 102 before Jaiswal tried to hit a quick single but in the process ended up losing his wicket as Virat Kohli was guilty of ball watching.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said it was a “dangerous single” but Virat Kohli could have qualified if he had heeded Jaiswal’s call.
Jaiswal, 82, and Kohli, 36, led the Australian bowlers for most of the final session of the second day. The duo used a mix of caution and aggression to defeat Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Scott Borland and Nathan Ryan. However, the partnership was broken by a runout and soon after, Virat Kohli also lost his wicket as he chased a delivery outside the stumps.
“It would have been quick and a player like Virat Kohli would have definitely succeeded. But the problem was that he saw the fielder. When you look at the fielder, he takes that crucial second when he turns. Then, naturally, you start thinking, “No, I want things to work out.” The balance is completely off. And it would have been tough,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.
“At that stage, you think, why do you need to take runs that have an element of risk? You’re batting well, the runs are coming. At that stage, you don’t really need the risk. But we were able to achieve this because Kohli is a great runner between the wickets,” he added.
“Pat Cummins is a great athlete.”
When Jaiswal started running after hitting the ball towards Pat Cummins at mid-on, the Australian captain quickly collected the ball and threw it to the striker’s end. As soon as Jaiswal hit the ball, Kohli looked back in the direction the ball had traveled.
By the time Kohli looked towards Jaiswal, the ship had left and there was not enough time for the left-hander to return. Former Australia batsman and head coach Justin Langer called Cummins a “fantastic athlete” who scored the game-changing moment.
“I thought it was a dangerous run because Pat Cummins is a great athlete. Even if he didn’t pick it up, in Pat Cummins’ head he would have chosen a non-striker. I thought it was a risky move. At that stage of the game, they were on top. They were in complete control of it,” Langer said. Ta.
“I thought it was too dangerous because he is fast. I love to see players fall and run hard, but that was a dangerous run. I think that’s what Virat was saying.” he added.
At Stamps on the second day of the 4th Test, India’s score was 164/5 with the visiting team still trailing by 310 runs. Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja will be included in the Indian squad.
