Sydney Test: Kohli’s likely last hurrah in Australia ends on dismal note

It was not the parting shot Virat Kohli would have bargained for in what could be his last Test innings on Australian soil, where he has had some of the best moments of his storied career over the years. An action replay of the first innings dismissal against Scott Boland — if not of most dismissals on this tour — saw the master batter shake his head in anger as he walked back to the hut in Sydney.

The sequence of his scores in this series are: 5,100, 7, 11, 3, 36, 5,17 and 6 as the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy has turned out to be a Waterloo for three of India’s elder statesmen of the game for more than a decade. First, a frustrated Ravi Ashwin called time on his international career with two Tests still to go, then captain Rohit Sharma was benched in a first for Indian cricket owing to poor form, and finally, Kohli fell again to his dalliance in the corridor of uncertainty.

In the run-up to the final Test, former India all-rounder and long-time TV pundit Ravi Shastri had said he saw Kohli playing for another ‘three to four years’ while it could be the end of the road for Rohit in red-ball cricket.  

A dispassionate look at the performance of the Big Two in Australia suggests that Kohli’s problem is more psychological than technical as he continues to chance his arm outside off-stump, and it’s difficult to see him last beyond another cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC) at best.  

Interestingly, in an interview before the start of day’s play with the broadcasters, Rohit said his decision to sit out this Test did not mean retirement from red-ball cricket, but he was preferring to keep things open-ended owing to a lack of runs. However, he also spoke of the need to be ‘realistic’ at some point, and given the opaque style of functioning of Indian cricket, it’s anybody’s guess as to whether there will be any major announcement from him after this Test.

The second day at the SCG, meanwhile, lived up to the reputation of the rollercoaster ride that the series has been, with seamers ruling the roost. As many as 15 wickets fell during the day, and the stage is being set for an intriguing third day’s play on Sunday which, by all accounts, should be the final day of the series. If India are 145 runs ahead and can think of throwing down the gauntlet for the hosts, they should be thankful to Rishabh Pant again.

The first two days of the contest have seen Pant excel in contrasting modes, and more importantly, put the team’s interest first. If he defied the body blows in the first innings for a painstaking 40, which came off 98 deliveries, Pant took on the aggressor’s role in the second as the wicket still produced exaggerated bounce and seam movement and India needed to put the runs on the board quickly on an unpredictable turf.

The ease with which he despatched the feared Australian pacers for four sixes showed once again why he is being hailed as a generational talent. He is a performer who exhilarates but exasperates at the same time — like the way he heaved at a wide bouncer from Pat Cummins and to be caught behind for a breezy 61 off 33 balls.

A lot now rests on the two overnight batters Ravindra Jadeja and Washinton Sundar as the last recognised pair at the crease. The longer the tail wags and can carve a target in the vicinity of 200, it won’t be easy for the hosts to overhaul it in the current conditions.

The stage is again set for a thrilling climax to the series on Sunday...