Virat Kohli Responds To Criticism Of Not Scoring Big In World Cup Semi-Finals
Jul 14, 2019 at 10:42 AM
Indian skipper Virat Kohli may be the best chase master when it comes to chasing down totals in ODI cricket but is he a big match player? The answer might be no, going by the numbers. Kohli has played three semi-finals in 50-over World Cups so far and these three matches his scoreline reads 9, 1 and 1.
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It was in 2011 that he played World Cup semi-final for the first time, against Pakistan. Then a junior player in the team, Kohli was dismissed on a score of 9. In 2015, much was expected from Kohli in the semi-final against Australia. India were chasing a score of 329 but the vice-captain of the team could just manage a solitary run.
This time around, he was the captain of the side and had the heaviest job to do but Trent Boult trapped him in front of the stumps. Replays showed that it was umpire’s call but Kohli had no option but to take a long walk back.
While responding to the question regarding his poor form in semi-finals, Kohli said that it’s very disappointing when he does not do well when the team wants him to.
Virat Kohli "it's very disappointing not turning up when the team wanted me to" #INDvNZ #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/eD9yhJPAu7
— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) July 10, 2019
India had a torrid start in the chase to a target of 240. They lost the first wicket of Rohit Sharma. Kohli too departed soon and was followed by KL Rahul. The pressure was right on the Men in Blue. Dinesh Karthik survived 25 balls before getting dismissed.
Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya shared 47 runs for the fifth wicket but both got out in an attempt to play big shots.
Ravindra Jadeja, with his heroic knock of 77 off 59, did raise hopes but he too was dismissed while playing a big shot as the situation demanded him to go big.
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MS Dhoni could have done the job in the last two overs but was run-out by Martin Guptill, which ended team India’s hopes and Kohli and co made their way out of the tournament from semi-final stage for the second consecutive occasion.
Few changes are expected in the squad following World Cup failure as Dhoni might retire soon. Karthik could also be dropped from the squad while Rishabh Pant is now expected to get a longer run in ODI cricket.