Indian captain Virat Kohli gave a brilliant example of his game awareness during the third ODI against Australia in Ranchi. He correctly predicted how Adam Zampa would bowl which eventually helped Kedar Jadhav to score a boundary.
Kohli (123) fought a lone battle at the JSCA International Stadium Complex on Friday while chasing the Australian total of 313 for 5 as the top-order batsmen failed to contribute.
After losing three early wickets, he forged two fifty-plus partnerships – 59 runs with Dhoni (26) and 88 runs with Kedar Jadhav (26) to keep India on track. It was during his partnership with Jadhav when Kohli, standing at the non-striker’s end, gave valuable advice to his partner about leg-spinner Adam Zampa’s bowling.
As Zampa accelerated the mind game and threatened with sharp-turning deliveries, the Indian batsmen were finding it hard to hit him away. Jadhav, too, was finding it challenging and it was then Kohli when tried to ease the pressure from the batsman in the 25th over by saying: “Keju, Ye picche bhi dega ball” (the bowler would bowl some short deliveries as well).
Kohli’s words that were meant to keep Jadhav patient, were caught on the stump mic. The captain’s prediction came true as Zampa bowled a delivery short of a good length and Jadhav went after it to hit a four in the mid-wicket region.
Here’s the video:
Kohli to Kedar, Ye Peeche bhi dega ball.https://t.co/oX62SuQsmi
— Gautam Chauhan🏏 (@Gautamchauhan2) March 9, 2019
Zampa though had the last laugh as he dismissed both Jadhav and Kohli after Dhoni to put the Indian chase under a check and the hosts eventually lost the 3rd ODI by 32 runs, allowing Australia to keep themselves alive in the five-match series.
