Australia vs India 2nd ODI: Three captaincy errors by Virat Kohli

Team India’s poor run in their Australia tour continues as the Men in Blue slumped to a 51-run defeat. The second match at the Sydney Cricket Ground witnessed some iconic moments as the Aussies outclassed Kohli and co. After winning the toss and electing to bat first, Australia swiped a massive 389 runs for four wickets.

Steve Smith scored his second consecutive ODI century against India, and all the top five batters scored a half-century. In the 2nd innings, Virat Kohli’s 89 and KL Rahul’s 76 kept India in the chase. But the target set by the hosts was unconquerable. The Men in Yellow managed to take a 2-0 lead against the visitors.

Here are the three errors made by the skipper Virat Kohli in the match:

1. Going ahead with Navdeep Saini despite his injury and poor performance in the first ODI

Navdeep Saini was dreadful in the first ODI as he conceded more than 80 runs in 10 overs. Despite his low exhibit, Kohli continued with him in the playing eleven instead of the likes of Shardul Thakur. The decision recoiled as the right-arm fast was once again taken to the cleaners. Saini gave away 70 runs in seven overs.

The 28-year-old was also irregular as he bowled one no-ball and a couple of wides. He was also consigned to bowl the last over where he let away 15 runs with two sixes. Saini had complained of back spasms before the first ODI and yet was a part of the squad could raise a couple of questions.

2. Not utilizing Hardik Pandya for more overs

The Indian team faced a shortage of the sixth bowler in the first ODI match. Kohli finally resorted to the services of Hardik Pandya in the second match and most shocking, Mayank Agarwal. Hardik Pandya, without much doubt, was India’s exceptional bowler.

Pandya took the bowling charge in the 36th over and did an excellent piece of work. In four overs, he gave away 24 runs at a rate of six per over. He also picked up a very crucial wicket of Steve Smith, who convened a hundred. If Pandya had bowled earlier, the condition could have been different for India.

3. Too many bowling changes

The Indian bowling was once again incomplete. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami went around the park at a breakneck pace. Also, Chahal, who has made so many essential headways over the years, conceded 71 runs off nine overs.

One strong reason behind the low performance of bowlers could be Kohli’s frequent bowling changes. Till the 35th over, not a single bowler bowled more than two overs in a single stretch. It looked like the bowlers were settled and were again got into a groove to make an impact.

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