Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan expressed his admiration for Virat Kohli’s approach against South Africa’s tactics in the first ODI in Ranchi on Sunday, November 30. When the visitors placed a short mid-off to cut down Kohli’s straight-drive option, Pathan said he was impressed by how confidently the Indian legend accepted the challenge and chose to play an aerial shot.
The moment took place in the eighth over of the innings bowled by Nandre Burger. South African skipper Aiden Markram brought in a short mid-off after Kohli had played a few shots in that region. When Burger pitched the ball in the slot, the 37-year-old drove it in the air over mid-off and cleared the boundary with ease.
In his recent YouTube video, Irfan Pathan said Burger and Jansen troubled India early, but after Kohli hit that straight six, he looked settled and never looked back.
“The ball swung in the powerplay overs, Nandre Burger’s pace and Marco Jansen’s bounce troubled the batters. But Virat Kohli looked comfortable right from the outset. When Kohli was batting, he looked in a different zone. I don’t think I have seen this bounce in Ranchi, so he negated that challenge. Since the time he played the straight drive, he didn’t look back.”
He further added:
“South Africa then created a game plan, they kept Marco Jansen at short mid-off and they asked him to hit there, else to open the face of the bat because left-armers want to take the ball outside the angle and want to see him play through the cover region. That’s why the fielder was there.”
Pathan continued:
Kohli said, “The field is yours but the game is mine,” before unleashing aerial shots. He hit two powerplay sixes for the first time since 2017 and finished with seven maximums, one short of his career-best eight. He smashed pacers from the crease and danced down the track to spinners, but the standout moment was his six over point.”
“Kohli decided he wouldn’t get out after India lost three wickets”: Irfan Pathan
In the same video, Pathan said that Virat Kohli’s trademark continues to be his fitness and his ability to adjust his game according to the situation. He added that this quality was especially crucial in Ranchi, as India did not have much batting depth in that match.
“Often bowlers bowl outside off-stump but we’ve seen Kohli pulling off the shot. When he passed fifty, he showed it towards the dressing room and he was happy with that shot. Fitness has always been the highlight and how he changes the strategy. When the situation demanded aggression, he did it so well, batting alongside Rohit Sharma. But Kohli told himself he wouldn’t get out after India lost three wickets,” Pathan said.
“India don’t have batting until No.8; hence, the responsibility is on the set batter to play a long innings. There was a phase when Kohli played cautiously, played low-risk cricket and concentrated on singles and doubles. But he has game awareness and calculated the situation extremely well,” he added.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.
