India’s Australian tour could turn into an unbridled nightmare when Virat Kohli returns home

It has all the hallmarks of descending into Stephen King horror show for the visiting India cricket team if and when the only man holding them together departs.

Where will India be without Virat Kohli? Picture: Getty Images

Alarm bells are ringing loudly as India’s Aussie roadtrip hit another pothole on Sunday, with the only bloke who looks capable of stopping a nightmare tour set to jump on a plane in three weeks.

Indian skipper Virat Kohli attempted to will his side to an unlikely upset at the SCG on Sunday night, crafting an inspired effort in a vain pursuit of Australia’s monstrous target of 390.

For the second night in a row India managed to post a score of over 300. However on both occasions they rarely felt in the contest from the outset, severely let down by poor bowling and abysmal fielding.

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Where will India be without Virat Kohli? Picture: Getty Images

But, after disappointment in Friday night’s opener, Kohli was at his superhuman best — brought undone on 89 to a spectacular Moises Henriques catch that was worthy of dethroning the King.

But it wasn’t nearly enough, with India falling 51 runs short as Australia took an unassailable 2-0 series lead.

And heaven help the tourists once Kohli jumps on a plane and heads back home for the birth of his first child after the Adelaide Test.

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With Kohli gone, the sting went out of not just the Indian team — but the fans too.

Despite a sea of blue dominating the SCG crowd of 17,573, his exit created a more subdued mood as the doomed chase having an air of inevitability about it.

What will India do without its superstar?

The truth is that so much of the runscoring responsibility falls on the shoulders of the white-ball megastar, which is fine for a player who averages a tick under 60 in one-day cricket.

Will India find a way to bounce back in time for Wednesday’s series-closing ODI in Canberra, and the three Twenty20s to follow?

They need to, badly. Because in perhaps the biggest concern for the tourists behind Kohli’s rapidly approaching absence, is the disappointing performances of star quick Jasprit Bumrah.

Bumrah arrived in Australia the No. 2-ranked bowler in ODI cricket — with his barnstorming Test heroics two summers ago still burnt into the memories of Australian fans.

But two games into India tour and Bumrah appears far more mortal.

His unconventional action still awkward, but is it still unplayable? Figures of 1-73 and 1-79 from the opening two ODIs suggest the talented paceman hasn’t brought the same level of fear factor to Australian shores this time around.

Commitment in the field can be an early indicator of cracks appearing in a touring side, and India have started off poorly in this regard as well.

Their best-credentialed weapon in the field, Ravindra Jadeja, has been among the worst offenders — missing a point-blank run-out chance to dismiss Aaron Finch on Friday, and spilling a sitter to give Marnus Labuschagne an extra life on Sunday.

Kohli leaves the field after being dismissed by Josh Hazlewood and with it any real hopes on an Indian of victory. Picture: Getty Images

MONEY TALKS IN OVER RATE DEBATE

If ever a team had good cause to drag its feet and commit the latest sin to infect international cricket — the dreaded sluggish over rate — Sunday was the day.

Walking to the SCG felt like a feat of endurance. Temperatures were touching cruel levels and an unforgiving wind sucked the air out of your lungs rather than provide a modicum of respite in the searing heat.

And yet here were 22 professional cricketers marching to the middle of the famous old ground, where the temperature was undeniably warmer than the 40 degrees in the shade of the Members Stand.

The scorching conditions didn’t keep the fans away — the second ODI of the summer was a sellout at the COVID-reduced capacity — but some surely watched through blurry vision as sweat mixed with sunscreen to sting the eyes.

Steve Smith made sure it would be a long day in the field. Picture: AFP

Want an excuse for falling behind the over rate? Here it was on a platter.

Which is why you felt at least a little sympathy as the clock ticked past the scheduled finish time of 6.10pm with Glenn Maxwell still a long way from his 21st ODI half-century – which he brought up off 25 balls 18 minutes later on the back of a series of audacious switch hits, ramp shots and one ugly drop by Mohammad Shami.

And yet when Australia’s innings was called at 6.31pm, it was proof that money talks and perhaps the ICC’s fines do too.

India had trimmed nearly 20 minutes off Friday’s mammoth four-hour-and-six-minute fielding stint, for which each player was fined 20 per cent of their match fee despite the oppressive conditions.

As for the guilty parties when it comes to ODIs finishing after last drinks at your local have already been called? According to Shane Warne, they are easily identified.

There wasn’t much to celebrate in the field for India. Picture: Phil Hillyard

“I don’t think it’s so much bowling the overs, it is more or less in between overs fluffing around,” Warne told Fox Cricket before play on Sunday.

The toss was going to be a dagger through the heart of whichever fast bowling unit had to leave the comfort of the air-conditioned team room and make its way out into the middle of the SCG.

And India, in its heat-seeking dark blue uniforms, was the unlucky loser of that fickle coin.

But watching footage of Steve Smith waiting for inexperienced Indian quick Navdeep Saini to start an over – while the Indian brains trust had a chat – left Warne aghast.

“The batsman is just about ready. Why isn’t the bowler back to the top of his mark waiting?” Warne asked.