Mitchell Starc had just come back for a short spell before lunch. It had been a brief while since Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul fell and this short burst was another chance of having a go at Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli.
This was a little after noon and the record for an all-time attendance was in danger with about 50,000 people already coming in for what promised to be yet another day of exciting contest at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Jaiswal and Starc have had their run-ins this series and this time the youngster was in no mood to get bogged down. He was batting outside the crease, charging at the left-arm pacer to counter the seam movement. Even as Jaiswal did all that, Australia’s target was at the other end - Kohli.
Right through this series Kohli had shown a clear pattern. One that is well established in the last five years. Push it wide outside off and tease him, Kohli will go for it. Or hit the deck and surprise him with the extra bounce. Although it had been a longstanding weakness, Kohli, on this tour, has shown little discipline. Whether it is the Brisbane first innings or Melbourne, one could have seen that dismissal coming from a mile away.
Here was Starc, running into the pitch with huge chants of Kohli from the massive Indian diaspora that had filled the stadium on the final day. He knew what the plan was - an away swinger full and wide. Kohli, with no feet movement, just went with his hands. The rest, as they say, is there to see. On the brink of lunch, with just few balls to go, Kohli had thrown his wicket away. What followed was on the expected lines as India lost by 184 runs and let Australia take a 1-2 series lead.
The frustrating part of Kohli’s dismissal is that it has been happening for a while now. Ahead of the Boxing Day Test, when Rohit Sharma was asked what kind of conversations you have with a modern day great like Kohli, all the Indian captain had to say was: ”You only said he is a modern-day great. Modern-day greats will figure out their way or the path (to overcome issues).”
While Sharma said it in a joking way, Kohli hasn’t been able to figure it out. Barring that one innings in Perth, Kohli had barely gotten himself in. That he averages 24.52 this year and 11.16 in this tour Down Under without that century is telling of where he stands.
Unlike Kohli, Sharma’s time in Test cricket came much later and he was a pretty good opener for about four years. However, it’s not the same anymore. Since the start of the year, Sharma averages 24.76 and in Australia it goes down to 6.2.
From the time he arrived in Australia and took over the reins, not one thing has gone well for India or Sharma and that has not done good for his confidence.
The one difference between him and Kohli perhaps is that Sharma has rarely more often than not has gotten out trying to defend. Even on Monday during his 40-ball stay at the crease, he tried to play his shots only twice. One he almost got out and the other he eventually did. More than the runs not coming, the manner in which he got out makes one wonder whether his reflexes are taking a toll and are not the same anymore.
Ask him where he sees himself, a very unlike Sharma platitude comes along. “I stand where I am standing today. There is nothing to think about what has happened in the past. Obviously, few results have not gone our way. As a captain, yes, that is disappointing. And yes, as a batter as well,” he said before admitting that the focus now moves to Sydney where India have a chance at levelling the series.
Which brings on to the most important question. Do Sharma and Kohli walk into the playing XI purely on performance? If they are not who they are and did not have the past record or the stardom they have, will they deserve a place? The onus now is on selectors and the BCCI.