Usman Khawaja defies wisdom to fly like Superman and seal Kohli’s fate

Less than an hour into the first Test of the series, Usman Khawaja staked a claim for catch of the summer.

Usman Khawaja takes a stunning catch to dismiss India’s captain Virat Kohli. Picture: Fox Sports

Less than an hour into the day they had already declared it the catch of the summer.

Others may rival it as the season progresses, but few will have the context or significance. Usman Khawaja’s effort in the gully to dismiss Virat Kohli had to be seen to be believed. Even those who saw didn’t quite believe. The Adelaide crowd reacted to the effort, applauded heartily enough to what they had seen in real time.

When they saw it on the big screen there was a reassessment. This wasn’t just an important wicket or a great catch. It was a screamer.

And, it was Usman Khawaja? You sure it was Usman?

Cricket wisdom has it that the Queensland captain is a liability in the field. One of those a captain tries his best to hide. Bit slow over the grass. Bit sluggish close to the wicket. Tries but basically a bit unco.

The uncharitable suggest he was moved to gully some series ago because it was considered the best place to hide him.

Khawaja, however, has worked on his fielding and dropped a lot of weight. If he had to move to his left this time last year he’d have belly flopped two metres short of the ball.

He’ll quibble, but this was the best catch he’s ever taken. His mates reckon he’s never even got halfway near one that good at training. Couldn’t catch it in his dreams.

It was early too, take that into consideration, when talking about Khawaja because this is a bloke who has sleep in his eyes until mid-afternoon.

The other thing is, if you drop Kohli you pay. He’s not the sort of clown who makes the same mistake twice — yes, that’s directed at you Rohit Sharma.

In England a few months back the home side paid a heavy price. The Indian captain had arrived in the UK with the worst of reputations. James Anderson had got him out for fun in the previous series. The best batsman in the game today averaged 13.4 in his first full English summer and had been out to the same bowler in four of his 10 innings. Almost always nicking a ball outside off.

In the first Test it looked like 2014 all over again.

Anderson induced a Kohli edge that flew directly to Dawid Malan in the slips. The Indian captain was on 21 at the time and his side in some bother.

Malan dropped the catch and Kohli was dropped again halfway to what turned out to be a very good century.

That innings set the tone for a series when the batsman made up for earlier failings, leaving those shores with an average of 59 and a restored reputation.

Yesterday’s proceedings could well have been different had Khawaja not made like superman. Australia will also be pleased that they got the best batsman in the world without having to move past Plan A.

The quicks had got Kohli on a couple of occasions in India by inducing him to drive at the ball that is wide and full. That was clearly the intent yesterday. Josh Hazlewood and Mitch Starc worked him over, giving him no room and then offering him more in the hope he would flail.

Enter Pat Cummins and exit Kohli three balls later. The dismissal working exactly to the script written in the bowlers’ meeting. Cummins has now bowled four deliveries to the Indian captain and got him out twice. The other occasion was in Ranchi.