India captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri’s positions called into question
The position of Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri must be reconsidered if India loses the series to Australia. Dramatic calls for change are dominating the India media after the Perth defeat.
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The position of Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri must be reconsidered if India lose the series to Australia – that’s the view of former batting legend Sunil Gavaskar whose dramatic stance is dominating the headlines in his native country.
Australia’s victory in Perth has been overshadowed by India’s internal fighting as well as big names calling for an overhaul to the leadership and selection committees.
To some, Kohli enhanced his reputation as the world’s best batsman with a fighting first- innings knock of 123 during the second Test loss to Australia on a tricky Perth Stadium deck.
His gutsy effort gave India a chance of victory, but his lack of support meant Australia were able to cruise to a 146-run win early on the final day.
While many have praised him, he won’t be feeling the love back home.
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“Utility of Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri as captain and coach must be assessed if India fail to win the next two Tests against Australia, suggested batting legend Sunil Gavaskar, who is baffled by the “selection blunders” committed by the team management.
“They have to look at the combination of their team, look at the hole that needs to be plugged and pick the men to. If they do that then they can certainly win the next two matches but if they don’t, and that too against this Australian team which does not have Steve Smith or David Warner, then the selectors need to think whether we are getting any benefit from this lot – the captain, coach and support staff,” Gavaskar told Aaj Tak.
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The Times of India is also holding a microscope over the Indian leadership and questioning why the same selection gaffes keep happening.
Bharat Sundaresan writes about “The deja vu surrounding India’s ‘away’ blemishes”
“The sense of deja vu got a lot more familiar around half-hour later when Virat Kohli and Murali Vijay were removed by Nathan Lyon, leaving India in the dumps. Like it was now only a case of when the rest would succumb and get done with it as India succumbed to yet another defeat. It was after all exactly how they’d stuttered in each one of their failed run-chases earlier this year away from home.
“Where India have messed up is with factors that have been in their control, starting with selection which also accounts to questionable reading of the pitch and conditions.
“Why these selection gaffes keep repeating themselves though remains a mystery. You have a captain who talks about wanting to win and plays his cricket in the same manner. You have a head coach who’s seen and experienced cricket from all corners possible and on paper should be the one guiding Kohli in making the right calls, once he’s done helping his captain get a grip on the conditions.”
INDIA UNDONE OVERSEAS
Also lamenting India’s track record of starting well and then coming undone is N Ananthanarayanan writing for the Hindustan Times.
“Well begun but coming undone has been a strong theme in India’s performances overseas, with numbers from this millennium highlighting that. India went into this series as favourites against an Aussie side without Steve Smith and David Warner.
”Much debate will focus on India not playing spin and their own batsmen’s failure to tackle off-spinner Nathan Lyon until now in the series. But their record too will be under scrutiny.
INDIA LOSE THE SCRIPT, LEFT GASPING FOR BREATH
“A week is a long time in international cricket,” is the opening line in The Hindu.
On December 10, Virat Kohli’s men defeated Australia in the first Test at Adelaide, and the next day they flew to Perth. Over the last few days, the visitors fought hard at the Optus Stadium but the tipping point has passed”
INDIA MAKES ANGRY DENIAL IN VIRAT KOHLI’S SLEDGING WAR
India has slammed “baseless” reports of a sledging showdown between rival captains Tim Paine and Virat Kohli during the second Australia-India Test.
The Indian team management strongly denied reports that Kohli had belittled Paine as just “a stand-in captain”. Both skippers were warned by umpire Chris Gaffaney during the game which Australia won by 146 runs.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India said: “It is ‘assumed’ that Kohli said, ‘I am the best player in the world and you are just a stand-in captain’.
“These claims were based on hearsay and the BCCI would like to bring into notice that no such words were spoken on the field by the Indian captain.”
It added: “The BCCI got a clarification from the team management about the incident and would like to classify the reports as baseless.”
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Originally published as India captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri’s positions called into question