"He came out as if he was in a hurry" - Aakash Chopra surprised by Virat Kohli's 4-ball knock in 1st ODI vs West Indies
Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has described Virat Kohli’s four-ball innings in the first ODI against West Indies on Sunday in Ahmedabad as very surprising.
The former captain came in at the fall of Rohit Sharma’s wicket and hit Alzarri Joseph for consecutive boundaries. However, he perished soon after to the same bowler, top-edging a hook to long leg.
Asked to share his views on the 33-year-old’s bizarre knock, Chopra said during a discussion on ESPN Cricinfo:
“Very very surprised. He came out as if he was in a hurry. First ball he tried something, second ball he tried something. These are extravagant shots that you don’t associate Kohli with. It perhaps tells you that he is not exactly in the right frame of mind.”
The 44-year-old claimed that even in South Africa, the experienced batter did not look at his fluent best even though he scored two fifties. Chopra elaborated:
“Even in South Africa, he looked a different batter. He scored runs but, personally, while watching him play, I wasn’t 100 percent convinced that this is the Virat Kohli at his very best. They were not the prettiest of scores, which can happen. But this four-ball innings, it seems, he is not mentally completely there when it comes to the comfort with his game.”
One down, two to go. 🇮🇳 https://t.co/SuwLko0zov
Kohli scored 116 runs in three ODIs in South Africa but they came at a below par strike rate of 76.32.
“These are early days for Ishan Kishan” - Aakash Chopra
Apart from Kohli, Ishan Kishan also struggled on a sluggish surface in Ahmedabad. Agreeing that the left-hander didn’t play a convincing knock, the former opener said:
“These are early days for Ishan Kishan. He has a particular style of play, which is very good when the ball is coming on to the bat. When people are banging it short, he is excellent with the horizontal bat shots. But the moment you start bowling fuller, you bowl slower and the ball is not coming on to the bat, that is when he gets challenged.”
Happy with our first win on the board 🇮🇳 https://t.co/MzvgT2HMND
Kishan scored 28 off 36 balls on Sunday and featured in an opening stand of 84 with Rohit Sharma. He holed out to deep square leg while trying to take on Akeal Hosein.