Former Australian cricketer Tom Moody heaped praise on star Indian batter Virat Kohli for his brilliant batting performance under pressure in the game against Australia on Sunday in Chennai. The 34-year-old batted exceptionally well alongside KL Rahul in the middle overs to help the Men in Blue to chase down the total comfortably in the match.
Rohit Sharma-led side was 2/3 in two overs, needing to score 200 runs to win the opening encounter, where the Australian pace attack dominated under the lights. Despite the pressure in the game, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul combined for 165 runs to lead India to victory in their opening World Cup 2023 game.
Speaking on Espncricinfo, Tom Moody feels that Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli understands the pace of ODI cricket very well than anyone in the game.
He rued Australia’s missed opportunity to dismiss the former Indian skipper in the game, with Mitchell Marsh dropping the important catch when India was thoroughly struggling.
“Virat Kohli understands the pace of ODI cricket and the pace of ODI cricket understands him. Australia missed the golden opportunity to dismiss one of the game’s greatest ever 50-over players and that really was a significant moment of the match and there was no question about that,” Tom Moody said.
Virat Kohli, who has already won the tournament in 2011 made his fourth consecutive appearance in the marquee event. The 34-year-old showed a lot of calm and composure in the match to help India chase down the total with 52 balls to spare.
Small Wins Like That Shift The Momentum Of The Match – Tom Moody
Tom Moody believes that KL Rahul has relieved the pressure of Virat Kohli in the game, as he took an aggressive role in the game against Australia. He lauded the Indian wicketkeeper-batter for taking on Adam Zampa in the match which shifted the momentum in the favour of the Indian team.
“KL Rahul came in and took the pressure away from Kohli to a certain extent and that’s what good partnerships do, because at times when things are not running smoothly for you, you want someone to come in and apply pressure like KL Rahul did at times.
“He hit Zampa for a couple of boundaries in the spinner’s first over and small wins like that shift the momentum of the match in your favour,” Tom Moody added.
KL Rahul batted beautifully to score an unbeaten 97 runs in the game. The Indian wicketkeeper-batter maintained excellent composure and formed a crucial partnership with Virat Kohli to lead India to an unforgettable victory and he would look to continue his fine form going forward in the World Cup.
