Will Virat Kohli play pink-ball warm-up match: The Indian captain has a maximum of two more competitive matches left on this tour.
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India captain Virat Kohli feels a dry patch in the middle-overs of the recently concluded third T20I between Australia and India in Sydney cost them the match.
Chasing a formidable 187-run target, India lost Sanju Samson (10) and Shreyas Iyer (0) in the same over to lose significant momentum in the middle. Needing 87 runs in the last seven overs with all-rounder Hardik Pandya (20) joining Kohli, the Indian captain was confident about sealing the chase but it wasn’t to be eventually for the second time in a row for the visitors.
“At one stage, when Hardik [Pandya] started going we thought we could pull it off. The middle over phase during our batting cost us the game. A partnership of 30-odd [in the middle] would’ve made it easier for Hardik.
“We are finding ways to come back and give the opposition a scare and the series win is a little asterisk for us to finish the 2020 season on a high,” Kohli told Fox Sports during the post-match presentation ceremony.
Despite Kohli scoring a well-made 85 (61) with the help of four fours and a six, his dismissal in the penultimate over saw India falling short by 12 runs.
Will Virat Kohli play pink-ball warm-up match vs Australia A at the SCG?
Kohli, who usually enjoys playing in front of packed houses, sounded affirmative about spectators returning to the sport on this tour and hopes to excel in front of eyeballs during the Test series as well.
“I feel the crowd was a factor as well, it’s always giving you a dimension of motivation. Our crowd pulls us through sometimes, and Australia’s too, and we as players feed off the crowd’s energy. We need to take the same competitive attitude into the Tests, and having played here a few times, we can score runs as well,” Kohli said.
The tight nature of scheduling due to the COVID-19 pandemic witnessed India’s Test specialists playing a warm-up match at the Drummoyne Oval as compared to Kohli and his men taking field at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
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Before the first pink-ball Test in Adelaide from December 17, India are also scheduled to play a pink-ball warm-up match in Sydney with full squad to acclimatize better to the conditions especially with the red ball. Being asked about his participation in the second warm-up match from December 11, Kohli wanted the commentators and fans to wait for at least tomorrow morning.
“Let’s see how I wake up tomorrow [laughs]. You know, I can’t play half and half. That’s me. I can’t just stand in slips and go through the motion. I need to wake up in the morning and see. If I feel great, I’ll definitely play. If not, I’ll speak to the physio and trainer and get a few days off and be fresh for the first Test,” Kohli mentioned.
