On a day where New Zealand bowlers were expected to dominate the proceedings, the Indians fought their way to a position of strength in the World Test Championship final in Southampton. And it was their skipper who led the way, with Virat Kohli exhibiting his class and determination through an unbeaten 44 off 124 deliveries.
Kohli displayed admirable restraint and composure walking in at 63/2 after a couple of quick breakthroughs to New Zealand. The Indian captain looked switched on the right from the start – which, he had to be given the Kiwis had started to get their radar right after a poor first hour – and showed ample resolve and resilience.
According to Cricviz, NZ quicks swung the ball 2.24 degrees an hour into the afternoon session, which is the most they’ve recorded since they started tracking the ball data in 2006. To counter this, Kohli followed the same template as he did to great success in 2018. While he played outside his crease to try and force the bowlers to drop it short and cover for the swing, the skipper was mindful of not going too much at the ball and played under his eyes as late as possible.
Kohli’s method seems to be quite popular within the Indian ranks, as earlier on, even Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma tried to follow his ways. Both the openers batted with decent control and clarity at the crease through their vital 62-run stand in trying circumstances. As Kohli did, Gill and Rohit looked to cut down the movement by standing outside their crease but made sure they played the ball quite late.
It was a rare period for India in the sense that they were at the receiving end of a phase where opposition bowlers erred in their lines and lengths overseas. The moment New Zealand won the toss and put India in, the obvious expectation was for them to swing the ball both ways and make quick inroads. But, Tim Southee and Trent Boult struggled to initially control the ball because of the lacquer and whatever swing they found in that starting period. It was not delivered with accuracy.
It was the respite the Indians wouldn’t have expected against an attack renowned for its discipline and consistency. Ultimately, though, the Kiwis did revert to the mean and got Rohit and Gill out caught behind in quick succession. Rohit (34) was done in after being drawn into playing at a widish delivery from Jamieson. Shortly after, Gill (28) was dismissed by Wagner on the one going across him and taking the outside edge.
Cheteshwar Pujara (8) and Kohli then batted quite watchfully with hardly anything on offer to score post-lunch and a short period after that. But just when Pujara looked to have gained in confidence after a couple of boundaries, he was done in by a Boult inswinger. The delivery, Pujara’s 54th of the innings, jagged back sharply into him and pinned him LBW.
Kohli, who retained his composure throughout, didn’t look to force the issue even after Pujara’s dismissal. He didn’t have to since his deputy Ajinkya Rahane (29) looked quite nice and relaxed at the start and batted positively on either side of a few minor mistakes, which you would expect in such conditions.
However, just when Kohli and Rahane would’ve hoped to continue their stand and build on their team’s score, the weather again played spoilsport as multiple stops and starts followed because of the bad light. The umpires were eventually led to calling off play after only 64.4 overs, anticipating rain that has already affected the Test match.
Brief scores
India 146/3 (Virat Kohli 44*, Rohit Sharma 34, Ajinkya Rahane 29*; Kyle Jamieson 1/14, Neil Wagner 1/28, Trent Boult 1/32) versus New Zealand.
