Virat Kohli’s Biggest Gaffe?
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The Champions Trophy started with a bang with India defeating arch-rivals Pakistan but ended with a whimper for India in the finals of the Champions Trophy where they met Pakistan again and suffered a terrible defeat with a deficit of 180 runs. The whole nation was praying for their victory, with havans and poojas being held in temples, the namaazs being held in mosques and special prayers in churches being held but all this to no avail as Virat Kohli, the vitriolic captain of the Indian team made a gaffe by inviting the rival team to bat first after winning the toss. Maybe this was done because Indians are good chasers of totals but on hindsight it was indeed a poor decision because the Pakistan team went on to score a total of above 300 runs thanks to some poor bowling and freebies given by bowlers like Jaspreet Bumrah who generally is a wonderful bowler in the death with his accurate line and length with that extra yard of pace and also his knack of getting wickets with his yorkers. He almost got the wicket they wanted of the dashing Pakistani opening batsman Fakhar Zaman who was given a reprieve by Bumrah when he got his wicket but had overstepped the line and had bowled a no ball and so with this let off he went berserk after the Indian bowlers and hit a century giving the Pakistani batsmen a good platform.
They capitalized on it and batters like Mohammed Hafeez, Babar Azam etc put up pretty good scores to take their score to above 300 which was a formidable score.But the match was not over yet and India were in it to chase down a good score and it was not beyond them as they had scored many such big totals. But one young fast Pakistani bowler had different ideas and his name was Mohammed Aamir who struck in his very first overs by taking the wickets of the like of the Shikhar Dhawan, who was a prolific get runner and also the Golden Bat winner of the tournament but couldn’t counter Aamir’s pace and went soon. Rohit Sharma also a prolific scorer for the Indian team went early too leading the Indian captain Virat Kohli who had faced many such set backs in his illustrious career but this time round it was Mohammed Aamir who got the better of him after Virat played across to hit the ball on the on side and lobbed an easy catch and this lead to the total annihilation of the Indian team leaving its fans in total gloom and despair.
They were so close and yet they came a cropper. The defending champions had lost and the Pakistani team got a hero’s welcome in their country and were showered with monetary rewards and high praises from all quarters and its young captain Sarfraz Ahmed was the toast of his country and with this win he was also awarded with the Test captaincy of a team which is very unpredictable and the selection of the captain is a major issue because after the previous elder statesmen like Younis Khan, Misbah Ul Haq had already retired . So what made Pakistan tick? A new medium fast bowler in Hasan Ali whose accuracy and wicket taking capabilities were the highlights of this tournament after Wahab Riaz got injured in the first match against India. Pakistan’s fielding too was of a high standard.
“Rohit Sharma a prolific scorer for the Indian team went early too leading the Indian captain Virat Kohli who had faced many such set backs in his illustrious career.”
But where did the Indians go wrong? Were they too confident because they had won all the matches except for against Sri Lanka or because Pakistan had lot its potency after some dismal performances in the recent ODI’s.? Or was it because the captain-coach controversy where in there were some serious differences between the Indian coach and the captain Virat Kohli and it was heard later that there was no communication between the coach and the captain for the last six months which was absolutely unheard of. Maybe the huge target was a deterrent for the batters who gave into the pressure and tried to hit way the pressure thus giving up their wickets. Or was it the Oval pitch which aided the swing and reverse swing expert Pakistani bowlers or was it the two paced wicket at the Oval or was it the gloomy overhead conditions on the day of the match? If a new hard-hitting all rounder like Hardik Pandya could have scored so many runs in the match, why couldn’t his senior pros score at ease ? Were they too tired after a hectic tour or was it something else which we can’t really define? Will this win be the renaissance for a beleaguered Pakistani dream which once was called a ‘ragged’ outfit? All praise to the Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur for his man management skills and professionalism. Mickey Arthur says, “For a country that has not played international cricket at home against any top cricketing nation, the Champions Trophy triumph was necessary to “identify their heroes”, The South African is hopeful, just like his skipper Sarfraz Ahmed, that this victory will usher a new era in the country’s cricket.“Look, I think it’ll be massive (implication of this victory). I really do. I hope that – and I am sure that the nation of Pakistan is really happy because they deserve it,” the coach said after the match.
Ever since a terror attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team’s bus in 2009, no major cricketing nation has toured Pakistan for a series and they had to play all their ‘home’ matches outside the country. Zimbabwe is the only nation to have toured Pakistan, two years ago.The International Cricket Council (ICC) is likely to send a World XI to Pakistan in September and Arthur hoped it will pave the way for future tours.“We’re scheduled to have a World XI in Pakistan in September for three Twenty20 games,” he said. “So hopefully that starts paving the way for future tours. We can only hope.”
Arthur, like others, also wants that cricket-loving fans in Pakistan, get to see their heroes play international matches.The players have gone through a lot. And not only for the players but also for the fans, who have not been able to identify with their heroes, because they just don’t get to watch international cricket at home. This victory is massive for the country. So let’s hope that this really kick-starts that momentum in Pakistan again,” Arthur sounds hopeful.He has been the South African coach on five occasions when the team lost in semi-finals of various ICC events but this triumph was not about him.“Certainly, it’s not about me and my career but it’s about 15 unbelievable players in that dressing room, who have been absolutely fantastic for the past year. So that’s what it should be about. But it is, you know, it really is,” a smiling Arthur says.“Oh, it sort of feels surreal really, to be honest. I was telling somebody the other day that I have had five semi-finals with South Africa and never got to a final. I got to one final with Pakistan and eventually got a medal! So that’s fantastic. But the credit goes to the players”. Should India now focus on getting new blood into the team with an eye on the 2019 World Cup and phasing out the experienced but inconsistent seniors? The call of the selection committee is all important for the future of Indian cricket.
We cannot but agree and wish the Indian team success in its future endeavors!
– Sandeep Hattangadi
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