A horrendous mix-up between Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal paved the way for Australia to gain the upper hand in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Both batters had stitched together a 102-run partnership before Jaiswal tried to run a quick single and, in the process, ended up losing his wicket after Virat Kohli was guilty of ball-watching.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said that although it was a “risky single,” Virat Kohli would have made his ground had he run on Jaiswal’s call.
Jaiswal (82) and Kohli (36) were on top of the Australian bowlers for most of the final session on Day 2. The duo mixed caution with aggression to get the better of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland and Nathan Lyon. However, the partnership was broken through a run-out and soon after, Virat Kohli also lost his wicket as he chased a delivery outside off stump.
“It would have been a quick run, and somebody like Virat Kohli would definitely have made it. But the thing was, he looked at the fielder. When you look at the fielder, when you turn, you’ve lost that vital second. And so naturally, you then think, ‘No, I want to be able to make it.’ Your balance is completely off. And it would have been a tight run,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.
“I think at that stage, why do you need to take a run that carries an element of risk? You’re batting well. Runs are coming. At that stage, the risk was not really necessary. But it could have been completed only because Kohli is such a fantastic runner between the wickets,” he added.
‘Pat Cummins is a brilliant athlete’
When Jaiswal started running after hitting the ball towards Pat Cummins at mid-on, the Australian captain quickly collected the ball and threw it at the striker’s end. As soon as Jaiswal hit the ball, Kohli looked behind towards where the ball had gone.
By the time Kohli looked towards Jaiswal, the ship had sailed, and there was not enough time for the left-hander to go back. Former Australia batter and head coach Justin Langer called Cummins a “brilliant athlete” as he pulled off a game-changing moment.
“I thought it was a risky run because Pat Cummins is a brilliant athlete. Even if he hadn’t picked it up, in the head of Pat Cummins, he would have gone for the non-striker. It would have been close, but I thought it was a risky run. At that stage of the game, there was no need for it. They were on top. They had it absolutely under control,” said Langer.
“As fast as he is, I thought it was too risky a run to take. I love seeing guys drop and run hard, but that was a risky run. I think that’s what Virat was saying,” he added.
At Stumps on Day 2 of the fourth Test, India’s score read 164/5, with the visitors still trailing by 310 runs. Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja are at the crease for India.
