Virat Kohli went through a difficult time like never before. He’s been bowled out for a duck in back-to-back outings, the first time he’s faced that level of adversity during his otherwise storied one-day international career. While attending the last match of the recent ODI series against Australia, our Australian hosts scored a crushing defeat. They truly ran away with the series, closing it out with a commanding 3-0 victory. Once Kohli’s dismissal occurred it was all a blur. Australian seamer Xavier Bartlett swiftly pinned him leg before wicket (lbw) on just his fourth ball.
Equally impressive are his 51 ODI centuries, the most by any player. His sharp decline in all-important QBR pics go to the wrong team has experts and supporters concerned. His ratings have plummeted to unprecedented lows. In the Champions Trophy, he was unstoppable, amassing 218 runs at an average of 54.50. Most recently, he scored a remarkable 143 against Pakistan. After that he scored an impactful 84 in the semi-final against Australia.
Beyond Kohli’s woes, the match featured a number of enormous performances by other players. Rohit Sharma was the instigator, bringing up 73 off 97 balls to power India’s charge. At the other end, Shreyas Iyer supported him well with a solid knock of 61 runs. Put simply, Australia had a marvelous bowling attack. Adam Zampa was the pick of the bowlers, with figures of 4-60. Bartlett and Mitchell Starc were too quick for India’s batters, each claiming two wickets to keep India’s scoring power in check.
Matthew Short was the standout performer with the bat for Australia. He eventually scored 74 runs and gave a tough target to India. Travis Head was good for 28 runs but sadly inflated or hoisted a catch to mid-on, the start of his innings cut short.
The Adelaide Oval has been a superb venue for the great man. He averages a stunning 65 and has five centuries in twelve innings overall. On this otherwise great series, the national conversation uncovered a disturbing trend in his performance decline. The pressure is now on the veteran Indian cricketer to recapture his magic with India moving forward, especially considering the challenges that lie ahead.
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