Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif has shared his views on the Indian talismanic batter Virat Kohli’s dismissal in the fourth ODI against New Zealand, which India lost by 244 runs on Friday, November 13.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaif noted that Kohli was not expecting the ball to nip back into him after pitching in. Interestingly, Kohli was surprised to see the ball coming in as he was visibly surprised.
“Virat Kohli was beaten on the same line earlier. Virat Kohli gets troubled by the ball that pitches outside the off stump early on. You might remember he was also caught while playing the cover drive. He could not control the ball, played it in the air, and was caught at cover. It was the same line and length,” Kaif said.
Kaif further felt that Kohli misjudged the length of the delivery, pointing out that while the veteran batter is technically sound, he suffered a lapse in judgement on this occasion. He also disagreed with the experts and fans who attributed Kohli’s dismissal to the ball keeping low.
“People have said this many times that the ball kept low, but I believe it did not keep low. Virat Kohli is a technically sound player and always plays this length on the front foot. He presses his left foot forward near the ball, and then the bat follows. He did not press forward on the ball he got out. If the ball hit the stumps, it means that length could have been tackled by coming on the front foot. There was an error of judgement where he could not pick the length,” he added.
Delving into the details of the fourth ODI, New Zealand was tasked with batting first, and they posted a daunting total of 333. Will Young (125) was the top scorer for the hosts. In response, India got all out for 89 in 26.4 overs. Ishan Kishan (27) was the top scorer, while Matt Henry scalped a six-wicket haul.
