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Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli give chills to management; Hazlewood, Starc expose old weakness
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's return to cricket on October 19 was disappointing, with Sharma scoring only 8 runs and Kohli failing to score.
October 19, Sunday, was marked on the calendars of the Indian cricket fans as they were expecting to see two of their biggest cricketing heroes return to the game. The anticipation was building around the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, and the Indian cricket fans were hoping to see substantial knocks from the two.
However, the day turned out to be anticlimactic. While Rohit Sharma was dismissed after scoring 8 runs off 14 deliveries, Virat Kohli’s knock lasted eight balls without any runs coming from the marquee batter. While these two batters have proved their credentials over the years, and their failure in one game does not sound the alarm bells yet, there were a few concerning signs on the return of the two star batters to the international arena.
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What is the role of the two players?
Rohit Sharma showed intent and tried to be aggressive after he took over captaincy, giving the team positive starts. His role remains the same, but being an experienced batter, it becomes his responsibility to provide a stable platform to the team when the conditions are tough.
When it comes to Virat Kohli, the whole batting revolves around him. Being the number three batter in the ODI format means that he would be the fulcrum of the line-up. It would be his job to rotate the strike, lay the foundation of the innings, and bat long to ensure a formidable total.
What the first game exposed
Rohit Sharma’s dismissal betrayed a familiar Australian issue - defending from the crease to a hard-length delivery with firm hands. On bouncy surfaces, which generally find a catcher, and that is exactly what happened in Optus.
Virat Kohli fell prey to his old nemesis, chasing a delivery away from his body at the fifth or sixth stump line. This time, the batter edged it to the backward point fielder. In a comeback match, Kohli tried to find his tempo in haste rather than feeling his way out in the middle.
Technical checkpoints, Kohli and Rohit would look to fix on this tour
- For Rohit, the primary goal would be to be certain about his footwork. He would probably look to commit forward on heavy length and front-foot smother the default early. The second thing that he might look to do is to use softer hands while playing defensive shots, letting edges die and not fly.
- Virat can primarily put an embargo on drives in the first 10-15 deliveries of his innings. The second thing he might want to do is meet the ball later, closer to his body, and with a slightly closed face.
South Africa in 2027 will reward discipline and late contact more than bat speed. If RO-KO show greater patience and lower their false shots vs back of a length deliveries, India would get solid platforms in most of the games.
This tour will go a long way in deciding the ODI future of the two stars. Their fit in the line-up and strategy, and also their importance during the WC 2027. However, both of them have maintained high standards for over a decade, and just one failure might not be something to fret over. With the class they represent, it could well be that in Adelaide, both of them fire and script a dramatic roar back to the form.
