SYDNEY: It could well have happened on the very first delivery he faced. Virat Kohli had entered a mixed reception at a packed Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday morning. It started with a bit of a boo before the applause kicked in. Kohli, walking in at the fall of Yashasvi Jaiswal for 10, was already under immense pressure. Rohit Sharma, the other senior batter and captain had “opted out” because of his poor form, and now the focus had shifted to the former captain. Kohli did not just need runs he needed a big knock to keep the wagons away from circling.
As always, he took a middle and leg guard with a slightly closer stance than he had in Melbourne, and looked up to face Scott Boland. The Victorian pacer had been the most venomous of the lot for Australia. Every time he took the field, Boland ran in and hit that one box of a line and length that ensured the ball hit the top of the off-stump. On occasions, the ball would bounce extra catching the batter off guard.
Here was Kohli, probably under more pressure than he ever was through this tour. As the ball pitched in that small area that Boland ever so consistently hits, Kohli shuffled across, got on his back foot and fended at it. The ball squared him up, took the outside edge and flew to the right of Steve Smith at second slip. Smith tried to hold on, but all he could manage was lob it up with his knuckle. Marcus Labuschagne caught it on the rebound and Kohli stood stunned.
He stood there helpless not knowing what to do. If someone had checked his BPM, the machine probably would have stooped working. As the umpires sent the decision upstairs to check the legitimacy of the catch, Kohli was anxious, restless and hoping against hope for a better decision. Joel Wilson, the third umpire for the match, deliberated.
The more time he took to zoom in on whether Smith was in control of the catch as the ball perhaps brushed the grass before being lobbed up, the better Kohli breathed. In the end, the decision was of course not out. He had a sigh of relief. It was his chance to make it count. It was the luck that he needed to go his way. At least that is what he and everyone else in the Indian dressing room would have hoped.
And it looked so for the rest of the first session at least. He was batting on the crease and not too forward and trying to get in line and leave as much as possible. For only the second time this series — the other one being Melbourne's first innings — Kohli looked intent on spending time in the middle. He did not willfully go for those expansive cover drives of full deliveries outside off-stump as he has through the series.
The only time he did go chasing against Mitchell Starc was on the fifth delivery he faced and picked up a couple of runs. Otherwise, he was happy to stand on the crease and leave balls that he did not have to play. There was a phase where Kohli did not score a single run off his bat for 16 balls.
He broke it with a couple and then strayed on 11 for another 15 balls. Kohli wanted to stay in the middle. He needed to. With Sharma not playing — whether his Test career ended in Melbourne or not is something only time will tell — all eyes were on the other senior batter. If Sharma averaged 6.2 with 31 runs in five innings, Kohli — excluding that century in Perth — at 11.16 average with 67 runs in six innings until Sydney. Another failure here would pose serious questions over his place in the playing XI for the next Test India play.
Yes, he would have wanted to score runs and spend time in the middle for the team that is looking to win the match and draw the series. There is absolutely no doubt about it. But the fact that he might be under pressure for his place in the playing XI could have been the extra motivation. He came in at 17/2, batted through the first session, watched Shubman Gill throw his wicket away at the stroke of lunch, came back and took fresh guard again.
Kohli was greeted by Boland again and the former was happy to defend. He played 12 dots before getting another run. Kohli was closing in on 20 (17) as Boland continued. On the first ball of the 32nd over, Boland continued to hit that corridor at mid 130KPHs and the right-hander was happy to defend.
Off the very next delivery, the ball, pitched on the same length, instead of coming into the batter, seamed away and bounced a bit. Kohli in his usual stance was caught on his toes fending at it. This time, the ball travelled to gully and debutant Beau Webster — who had caught everything that came his way and then some — wasn’t going to miss.
Another start not converted. Another failure in a long list of familiar dismissals. It’s either on the toes, fending off the back foot or chasing full and wide balls with hands. The results have been the same — giving catching practice to the slip cordon.
It was a chance for Kohli to come out and make a statement — that he has still got it, that he still can make match-changing contributions in this format and help India draw the series. But Kohli failed, again, showing his mortality. He got out to Boland for the fourth time in Tests in 98 balls while scoring 32 runs.
From 72/4, India went to 185 all out — thanks to Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah — after opting to bat first on a green top in a must-win game. It is going to be a mountain to climb from here on. But as Pant curbed his instincts to bat time and play the situation, it will be Kohli's innings that would come under the lens. Another failure in the second innings could well define how long the former India captain’s Test career goes forward.