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Showing posts with label test. Show all posts
Showing posts with label test. Show all posts
Why Virat Kohli failed to score a triple century against Bangladesh
And the precise match he will go on to score it
Long before Virat Kohli had even reached his double century, there was a poll on Star Sports – it had to do with his triple century. Anyone who was watching Kohli bat was in no doubt of the triple century. It was just a matter of time. Either before tea or after, but come it would.
On his way, there had been minor hurdles, more like irritants, the odd appeal; he had even been given out. But he reviewed it. It looked out but it couldn’t be – there was that triple for the taking. On being reviewed, the ball was missing the stumps, the umpire had to eat his decision.
However, there was this small matter that everyone was unaware of – there was no way Kohli could make a triple century, because if he did, he would have had to take the drastic step of dropping himself from the following Test match, the first against Australia.
Why? If there’s one thing that Kohli is, it’s that he’s fair to a fault. Dropping triple centurion, Karun Nair, was not an easy decision. Yet in Kohli’s mind, it was the correct call. Made to accommodate India’s middle order mainstay, vice-captain, and proven match winner, Ajinkya Rahane.
While both Kohli and Kumble had explained their reasons to Nair, this decision did not sit easily on Kohli. He admitted to being greatly pained by it, confessing to his teammates that life and cricket can be so unfair – and that dropping Nair was his toughest decision as captain.
He hoped that it did not scar Nair for life, and hoped he would play for India again, sooner rather than later. At the same time, the dressing room was abuzz with the one-off Bangladesh Test being a great opportunity for a maiden triple century – for who else but the captain.
It was then that Kohli had admitted that if he were to make a triple century, he would drop himself from the following Test match. He said, “I want to feel Karun Nair’s pain…I want to know what it feels like to dropped after scoring a triple century…it must be so deflating…yet it is also a great lesson in resilience to rise gain, to feel the crushing pain and then comeback...isn’t that what heroes are made of?”
While Virat Kohli is a man of his word, and there was no way he was not going to stick to his guns if he scored a triple century, it was on coach Anil Kumble’s insistence that there was a change in plans.
Kumble had convinced Kohli to not score a triple. This way he would not go against his word and also play the crucial first Test against Australia.
In the first innings, Kohli’s awareness, of both his batting and the DRS (Decision Review System), had been quite unsurpassed. He had already made a canny call which overturned a LBW decision. So naturally it took everyone unawares when Kohli trooped off when given out LBW with two reviews still in the bag.
How could Kohli not know the ball was pitching outside off? How could Kohli not review his key wicket, after all, an early declaration hinged on how long he batted?
Finally, it was all down to not scoring that triple century. And being fair to himself, the team and the other triple centurion, Karun Nair.
Whether Virat Kohli will ever allow himself to score a triple century nobody knows. But he was heard whispering to nobody in particular, “Maybe I’ll only score a triple in my last Test.”
Karun Nair shook his head in disbelief, as if to say, “what have I done?”
(However plausible this may sound, this is largely a work of fiction.)
First published here
Heated Bhajji vs Ojha Debate on NDTV
Why was Pragyan Ojha dropped for the Chennai Test? Why was Bhajji picked - to play his 100th Test? Join Bored Member Gaurav Sethi talking Naked Cricket on NDTV. And the rap in the end.
view on NDTV
on rahul opening the innings...
is he on his farewell tour...?
that's the first thought which came to my mind seeing rahul dravid open with gautam gambhir today...
or was he in as a nightwatchman...
save this tiger...
imagine he could have missed this test coz of injury playing some meaningless ODIs...
one can argue that he can get injured playing in tests too...
but sir...
tigers are not meant to get injured while crossing the road...if injury has to happen, let it be on the real battlefield...
second day: india fail to force issue...
for the first time in recent times indian innings stagnated after the fall of dravid...specially in third session of play...
usually the team looks to up the ante in this session to capitalise on a good foundation...on tired bowlers and to get into some sort of momentum before the new ball is due...but what we saw was just the opposite...the batsmen at the crease kept on blocking and blocking without any visible intention of looking even for a single...
ryder was given too much respect and we specially failed to capitalise on vettori's off color bowling when he was surprisingly flat...
nz would think they still have a chance and if they can pick a couple of wickets in the first hr tomorrow the lead can be restricted to manageable levels...
there is still quite a bit of time left in this test match and if nz manage to restrict india and post a decent score in the next five sessions india will be in a defensive position coz they will have to bat in the fourth innings...if this happens india will look back at third session as the missed opportunity where they could have been little more proactive...
again on two consecutive days no team can lay claims to be in distinctive advantage...
some observations...
dhoni is better test wicketkeeper...is better odi captain...
slip cordon can't be 'spaced' out...it should be 'filled' by a fielder...
dravid a point fielder...?
yuvraj is odi part time bowler...
sehwag is test part time bowler...
harbhajan still doesn't know what kinda bowler he is...
an attacking one or stock bowler...
got more...?
Between the pillow and play
As you wake up, before you wake the TV up, on the first morn', you're bound to do some calculations:
I had settled for NZL batting and outing themselves, 60/5. It was 10 mts before lunch then.
NZL was 56/5.
I had McCullum's wicket for bed tea.
Actually a four through slips before that.
And then the wicket.
And then Arun Lal.
And I'm writing this in my sleep.
Just as Lal and Charu Sharma speak in their sleep.
But the real fightback begins now, Ryder and Vettori still there.
I'm not. Back to the bunkers for lunch.
Cricket in NZL just doesn't make sense.
The world according to Warne
by Naked Cricket
Hussey @ 3
Watson up the order
Ponting down the order
Everyone in a floating position
Make Hayden take on Mishra – even if it means H not opening
We can lose Mohali yet win the Series -
So, what can we gain in the 4th and 5th Day?
We can still win it
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