India looked all set to seal the game when Umesh Yadav picked up the wickets of Marnus Labuschagne and Pat Cummins in the same over on day 2 of the first Test at Adelaide. The Aussies were still a long way away from India's score and in danger of conceding a big first-innings lead.
Then, a familiar story played out. Tim Paine, the Aussie skipper, decided used the now very popular method of protecting the tail - playing majority of the over himself and then looking for a single on the last two balls of the over to farm the strike. To some extent, Paine succeeded in doing that and brought India's lead, which at one stage seemed set to be over 100, down to 53.
In this situation, India's captain Virat Kohli did what many captains in the past have been guilty of - focussing on the lower order batsman and trying only to get him out while letting the senior batter to get runs easily. This is a strategy that has backfired on numerous occassions for captains around the world. Remember MS Dhoni at MCG in 2011 or Mohammad Yousuf at SCG in 2010?
There are various examples of this phenomenon. The point is - a captain should never allow easy runs to a batsman and only focus on getting the weaker batsman out. Kohli was guilty of that on day 2 of this Test. The fact that he shifted to this tactic as soon as Paine showed aggressive intent pours cold water on all the talk of him representing a 'new India' with aggressive intent.
The ease with which Paine got singles and managed to even steal a second run on certain occassions was a clinching evidence of how poor this tactic was. It eventually allowed Australia to whittle down India's lead to a much less daunting 53.
This late surge may have had far-reaching consequences. It's possible that a despondent Australia felt morally revived on seeing their captain's fight and became more eager to fightback. Their bowlers certainly seemed upbeat. This may not have been the case if the home side had a bigger deficit to contend with.
The 'lack of intent' which Kohli complained about in his team's batting may be a more appropriate criticism when applied to his captaincy. Being confident and aggressive isn't about swearing at opponents or scowling on getting a wicket. It's about being brave with the fields. That's what made Brendon McCullum so successful. Kohli has been found wanting here.
Powered by Froala Editor
Powered by Froala Editor
Powered by Froala Editor