Kohli, Rahul should’ve scored 30 runs more. They didn’t take risk: IND legends blast team for not ‘targeting 5th bowler’
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Both teams got what they wanted at the toss on Sunday at the 2023 World Cup final yet it was Australia who were all smiles at the end of the first innings in Ahmedabad. It was considered a bold call from Pat Cummins, who opted to bat first in a high-pressure clash, but the Aussie pace attack executed their plans to perfection as they folded India for just 240 runs. Such was the captaincy from Cummins with his on-field calls that even legends like Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag were all praise for the fast bowler, but both were also left fuming at Virat Kohli and KL Rahul for not taking any risk against Australia’s part-timers.
India’s Virat Kohli and KL Rahul run between the wickets during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 final match against Australia, at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday(ANI)
After India lost Shubman Gill early in the match, Rohit Sharma did what he has been doing all through the competition. With his aggressive gameplan, the India captain went on a rampage against Josh Hazelwood as he smashed 47 runs in 31 balls before India were reduced to three down in a space of just four balls. Glenn Maxwell dismissed Rohit while Shreyas Iyer, who scored back-to-back tons leading up to the final, managed only 4 runs before being dismissed by Cummins.
On the tricky wicket, Kohli and Rahul, India’s last two batting hopes, looked to take things slowly as they fought cautiously against the disciplined Aussie attack. They stitched a 67-run stand in 18.3 overs where Kohli scored his fifth consecutive fifty-plus knock which was enough to put a smile back on the faces of the otherwise tensed Ahmedabad crowd. But a broader picture revealed that the pair managed only a single boundary in that partnership.
Speaking to Star Sports after India’s innings, Gavaskar was left disappointed at India, especially Kohli and Rahul, for not targeting the part-timers during their partnership. He felt that had the two at least taken more singles, if not scored boundaries, then India would have managed a total of 270.
“This was the partnership that steadied the innings. But I feel they allowed the non-regular bowlers to get away with not too many runs. Travis Head bowling two overs for four runs, Mitch Marsh bowling two overs for not too many overs. Those were the overs which I feel they shouldn’t be taking too many risks, but not taking too many singles means those 20-30 runs should have come very handy. So we are 241 instead of suppose 265-270. There was always that fifth bowler they could target and there was no rush at that stage because the Marshs and Heads…those were the 10 overs that they should have targeted and that didn’t happen,” he said.
One of India’s batting plans against Australia was of course taking on the part-timers. The likes of Mitcehll Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins and Zampa have been their specialist options, but Australia’s fifth or sixth bowlers haven’t clicked in this World Cup. On Sunday, against India, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh conceded only 49 runs among themselves in 60 balls for a wicket.
Speaking on Cricbuzz, Sehwag spoke on similar lines as he felt that Kohli and Rahul got a bit too comfortable having a target of 250 in mind which could have pushed more with a few more singles during their partnership.
“After two wickets fell, Kohli and Rahul felt that the wicket was slow and that they will play comfortably to get to 250. So they didn’t take a single risk, when that was actually the second powerplay where five fielders were inside the circle. So best scenario would have been India scoring at least 4-5 runs an over even without boundaries. I mean one of the players should have taken the chance. Rahul played 107 balls to score 66 runs. Had he stayed till the end, may be he could have covered that up but that delivery from Starc was so good that he couldn’t have done anything,” he siad.
