Virat Kohli's order of merit: Likely to step into the big shoes of Sachin Tendulkar at No4 in Tests

December 15, 2013

Virat_KohliBenoni, Dec 15: Indian cricket fans the world over will possibly experience a sense of emptiness during the course of the first Test against South Africa in Johannesburg starting December 18. Picture this: the visitors are 12/2 on Day One. They could well be. And all eyes will be on the ‘tunnel’ at ‘The Bullring’. You know it won’t be the Little Master walking down that famous slope. But you’d still be watching — hoping against hope.

If Team India’s net sessions are anything to go by, Virat Kohli will bat at No. 4. In Test cricket, this position is the most recognisable of all. And for the Indian cricket team, it was the slot occupied by Sachin Tendulkar for over two decades.

At Willowmoore Park here on Saturday, Kohli batted with aplomb during training. The ‘side arm’, an integral part of bowling coach Joe Dawes’s tool box, was put to good use. Predominantly used to give ‘throw-downs’ to a batsman, the ‘slingshot’ can help its handler unleash all kinds of deliveries.

Dawes dished out an array of short-pitched ones, each of which Kohli ducked or pulled. Umesh Yadav, Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma tried the same, but there was no stopping Kohli.

He was keen on countering the bouncer, something he failed to during the just-concluded ODI series that India lost. A sore ribcage bears testimony to this fact.

Kohli appears to be the rightful occupant of the No. 4 position vacated by Tendulkar. A prolific batsman, especially in the shorter formats of the game, he has earned the right to move up from No. 5. And a lot will be expected of him in South Africa. Following the drubbing in the ODIs, Kohli himself will be desperate to make a statement or two.

Kohli’s game is suited for the No. 4 position, a slot where the batsman is either expected to stem the rot after two quick wickets or go on the attack. Either way, his job will be to do the bulk of the scoring. Sandwiched between Cheteshwar Pujara and Rohit Sharma in the order, he will have the company of two of the most promising India have.

Blessed with sound cricketing brains, exceptional talent, solid technique and shots from and outside the textbook, Kohli is capable of making the position his own.

A cursory look at Kohli’s Test career reveals that the Delhi batsman tends to flourish towards the end of a series. After scoring just 43 runs in the first two Tests during tour of Australia in 2011-12, he made 44 and 75 in Perth before cracking his maiden hundred (116) in Adelaide.

It was no different in the home series against England last year. The right-hander came a cropper in Ahmedabad (19 & 14*), Mumbai (19 & 7) and Kolkata (6 & 20) before registering a potentially match-saving 103 in Nagpur. But this time, Kohli is pressed for time. The series will be over before he knows it. And India’s fortunes will depend a lot on his performance.

Prior to the team’s departure for South Africa, skipper MS Dhoni had stressed upon the need to allow the newcomers to develop into the team in their own right.

“If possible, we will omit the No. 4 position,” Dhoni had said. “One, two, three, five, six, seven and then we’ll play till 12. But again, it’s not about one individual. Whoever bats at that slot, it is not pressure on that individual saying he is replacing Sachin Tendulkar. There is no replacing anyone. He (Kohli) brings his own character into the side.”

Character, attitude and persona: Kohli has it all and more. His exam starts in four days’ time.

Why no play?

Simon Lepepe, the groundsman at Benoni’s Willowmoore Park, couldn’t believe the two-day match between India and a South African Invitation XI was called off on Friday itself. “Look at the ground. All the wet spots have dried up. I don’t know why there’s no play,” he said on Saturday.

When informed that a Cricket South Africa release on Friday had indeed quoted the groundstaff, as saying, that the venue wouldn’t be ready for play on Day Two either, Lepepe was amused. “I guess the teams took a call. Maybe India did not want to play just for a day. But trust me, we could have had a game today.”

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News Network
July 3,2020

Karachi, Jul 3: There was a sense of insecurity among Pakistan players during the 2019 World Cup, claims former chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq, who also reckons that the PCB should have given Sarfaraz Ahmed more time as captain instead of removing him abruptly.

Inzamam said captains need to be backed since they get better with time.

"Even in the last World Cup I felt the captain and players were under pressure because they were thinking if we don't do well in the tournament we will be out. That environment was created and this is not good for cricket," Inzamam said.

"Sarfaraz achieved some notable victories for Pakistan and was learning to be a good captain but unfortunately when he had learnt from experience and mistakes he was removed as captain," the former captain told a TV channel.

Inzamam remained chief selector from 2016 till the 2019 World Cup. During his tenure, most of the time Sarfaraz remained captain.

Soon after Inzamam was replaced by head coach Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan Cricket Board removed Sarfaraz as a player and captain from all three formats.

"Sarfaraz won us the Champions Trophy and also made the team number one in T20 cricket. He got us some good wins. He should have been given more time as captain by the board but it acted in haste and didn't give him confidence or patience."

The PCB has now given the Test captaincy to senior batsman, Azhar Ali while young batsman Babar Azam leads the side in the white ball formats.

Inzamam, the most capped player for Pakistan, also said that the captain's own performance can dip as he had to focus a lot on other players.

"But a captain learns all this with time. There is no shortcut to it."

He pointed out that people praise Imran Khan’s leadership qualities and captaincy but he also won the World Cup on his third attempt as captain.

"He won the 1992 World Cup because by that time he had become a seasoned captain and learnt to motivate his players and get them to fight in every match."

Inzamam said giving confidence to new players and youngsters is very important for the selectors. He gave the example of Babar Azam.

"Babar struggled initially in Test cricket but we never had any doubt about his ability so we persisted with him and see today where he is standing in all formats."

He also described Babar and pacer, Shaheen Shah Afridi as and future stars.

"Babar is always compared to Virat Kohli but the latter has played a lot more cricket and if you look at their stats and performances at the stage Babar is now, he has not done badly at all."

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News Network
March 7,2020

Melbourne, Mar 7: Ahead of the Women's T20 World Cup against Australia, India spinner Poonam Yadav said that skipper Harmanpreet Kaur has given her a lot of support.

"Harmanpreet has been of immense support. When I got hit for a six in the first over, she came to me and said, 'Poonam, you're one of the most experienced players in the team, and we expect better of you'," Poonam said.

The 28-year-old experienced bowler has played 68 shortest format games for India and taken 94 wickets at an average of 22.66.

She has been in devastating form throughout the tournament and has bagged nine wickets so far.

"So, that kind of stirred something within me. I told myself if my captain has that much faith in me, I should be able to make a comeback," she said.

"I took a wicket in the very next ball, and didn't look back since. Now when I look back at that moment, it means so much in the context of my individual performance and run to the final," she added.

In the opening game against Australia at Sydney Showground, Poonam came within a whisker of the third hat-trick in Women's T20 World Cup history, dismissing Rachael Haynes and Ellyse Perry before Jess Jonassen was dropped.

The final of the tournament will be played at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on March 8 -- International Women's Day.

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News Network
June 27,2020

Jun 27: India's Test batting mainstay Cheteshwar Pujara cannot describe in words the influence that Rahul Dravid has had on his life but says he will always remain grateful to him for teaching the importance of switching off from cricket.

Often compared to Dravid, who was considered the 'wall' of Indian cricket, Pujara said he is thankful to Dravid for teaching him how to keep personal and professional lives separate.

"He helped me understand the importance of switching off from cricket. I had the same thought, more or less, but when I spoke to him, it gave me a lot of clarity about it and I was sure of what I needed to do," he told ESPNcricinfo.

"I also saw in county cricket how they keep personal and professional lives separate. I value that advice a lot. Many people consider me to be focused. Yes, I am focused, But I also know when to switch off. There is life beyond cricket."

In his illustrious international career, Dravid amassed 13288 runs in 164 Tests and 10889 runs in 344 ODIs. He also captained India in 79 ODIs, winning 42 of them, which includes the world record of 14 successive wins while chasing.

"I cannot say in one line what Rahul bhai means to me. He has always been an inspiration, and will remain one," Pujara said.

His mental fortitude and batting technique is often compared to Dravid but Pujara said "despite my enchantment with him" he never tried to "copy him."

"There is a similarity in our games, but that's not because of my fascination with him. That came mainly through my experiences with Saurashtra, where I learned that scoring a hundred alone isn't enough, you have to carry your team," he said.

"That is how I learned responsibility - it is about helping my team to raise a big total, and for that I ought to attach importance to my wicket. I learned that from my junior cricket days with Saurashtra, which was a weaker team in domestic cricket."

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