In India’s collapse, one batter who looked good and sustained Mitchell Starc’s devastating spell was Virat Kohli at Visakhapatnam in the 2nd ODI, he made 31 runs in India’s 117 total but with four boundaries, he was looking in good nick but eventually got out via Leg Before Wicket (LBW) by Nathan Ellis. While Kohli was dismissed by Starc in the 1st ODI at Mumbai on the 4-run mark via LBW decision only.
Former Indian cricketer, Wasim Jaffer thinks that it is getting frequent that Kohli looks in good nick and gets out after making 30-40 runs, and the star Indian batter used to play big knocks in past when he got set.
Former Indian opener explains why Kohli has struggled in ODI series-
“It was a massive wicket as he looked in rhythm. It seemed like he would string a big partnership with Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja. He might not have played Nathan Ellis a lot and got beaten after playing across,” he said.
“He looked in good nick. I’m a little surprised because the old Kohli wouldn’t be dismissed after making 30-35 runs, but it’s happening frequently. When he is on the crease, he makes 35-40 runs and plays one poor shot to get out. So, Kohli has to change that. I thought we might see one more big score at his favourite venue and it, unfortunately, couldn’t happen,” he added.
Former captain top-scored for India at Vizag, scoring 31 and was the only player to cross the 30-run mark. Axar Patel (29*) was the only other player to cross the 20-run mark during the disastrous batting display. For Australia, M. Strac starred with the ball, taking 5 for 53 while Sean Abbott and Ellis picked up 3 and 2 wickets respectively.
Nathan Ellis dismissed Virat Kohli (31) and Ravindra Jadeja(16) in the 2nd ODI at Vizag. Kohli's trend of giving away the wicket to the new bowler continues ?.#INDvsAUS #2ndODI #Vizag #HardikPandya #CricketTwitter #IndiaVsAustralia pic.twitter.com/1cPlRkO2Af
— Mrityunjoy #KKR_MohunBagan ??♥️ (@Mrityunjoy_offl) March 19, 2023
“If your new-ball bowler gets you wickets, there is nothing better than that. If you can dismiss the top 2-3 opposition batters, they will go in the backfoot. Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood are currently on the sidelines. So, I see this team as even stronger. If Starc can maintain this form, these are good signs for Australia,” he further added.
Starc has been one of the most lethal bowlers for Australia from the last decade, the left-arm pacer has taken eight wickets in the ongoing three matches ODI series, Indian batter failed to pick the line and length of Aussies star left-arm pacer, as his late swing troubled team India’s batter.
Earlier, Team India, on Sunday (March 17), endured a tough day at the office as Australia bowled them out for a paltry 117 runs. The 33-year-old left-arm pacer once again fired with the new ball and blew away India’s top order. He first sent back in-form Shubman Gill for a duck before dismissing Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav on consecutive deliveries to leave India reeling at 32 for 3. For Australia, Starc starred with the ball, taking 5 for 53 while Sean Abbott and Nathan Ellis picked up 3 and 2 wickets respectively.
Australian left-arm pacer later was awarded player of the match for his amazing spell. Now, the three ODI matches series have been levelled up on 1-1 each, for the decider, the Rohit Sharma-led side will take on the visitors (IND VS AUS) on March 22 at Chennai.