Virat Kohli must be having a tough time dealing with the inexplicable events on day 3 of the first Test against Australia at Adelaide. After the horror day that saw his team get the unwanted distinction of getting bowled out for the lowest-ever Test total by an Indian team, he put the blame on 'lack of intent.'
Kohli asserted that the reason for this shocking collapse was the fact that his team's batsmen weren't looking to score. Now, just look at the Indian batting card. Prithvi Shaw played just four deliveries before being dismissed. Cheteshwar Pujara and he himself were out on the eighth deliveries of their innings. Ajinkya Rahane's innings consisted of only four balls.
Ravichandran Ashwin was out on his first ball. Wriddhiman Saha and Hanuma Vihari faced 15 and 22 deliveries. Do you expect them to show 'intent' when their team is in danger of getting bundled out for their lowest-ever score?
On top of this, Mayank Agarwal was out on the very first ball he faced from Josh Hazlewood. Rahane was dismissed in the same over four balls later.
So, what does Kohli expect his batsmen to do, start going for expansive drives and flamboyant pulls from ball one of their innings? That too, when the ball is still new and the bowlers are making it talk? Is that what he and other Indian batsmen did in the first innings.
Kohli's 74 earlier in the match was characterised by immense patience and great restraint outside the off stump. He played many more leaves than one expects from him. It took him 180 balls to score that many runs. Pujara took 20 less for his 43. Was that also 'batting without intent?' If yes, then why did it succeed.
On a day when Hazlewood and Pat Cummins exposed Indian batsmen's vulnerability thanks to just a bit of movement off the pitch, to blame the collapse on 'lack of intent' seems absurd. If Kohli feels Pujara shouldn't have gone eight deliveries without scoring a run, he should be reminded that the same Pujara, batting the same way, proved to be the difference between the two teams last time.
Why not look at his own performance. Kohli hadn't scored a run in his first six deliveries. Then, he hit a boundary to get off the mark. But on the very next ball, he tried to play a big drive, full of 'intent' and gave a catch to gully.
The fact that Indian team was all out for its lowest ever score is disappointing enough. But, the fact that the team's captain has made a mis-diagnosis is even more worrying. One wonders if that's what the coach Ravi Shastri thinks also. If so, worse times could be ahead for the side.
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