'If you want to hit a 6...': Mohammad Kaif's merciless reaction to Virat Kohli's dismissal after 3rd ODI vs Australia

Living up to his ‘chasemaster’ tag, former Indian skipper Virat Kohli was keen on rescuing Rohit Sharma’s Team India from a precarious situation before Ashton Agar made his presence felt in the recently concluded series decider on Wednesday. Overlooked by the Australian selectors in the entire Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023, spinner Agar turned the tie on its head by dismissing Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav in his game-changing over.

Spinner Agar was third-time lucky when David Warner took a simple catch at long-off to remove an on-song Kohli in the 36th over. After removing Kohli, spinner Agar handed Suryakumar his third-straight golden duck of the One Day International (ODI) series at Chennai. Discussing the jackpot wicket of the batting icon, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif questioned the shot selection of the premier batter.

“It was a chip shot. There was no planning. The ball had gone one bounce to Warner in the previous over. He just survived there. If you want to hit a six, you have to commit. When Virat Kohli decides something, he does it with certainty. You cannot play a half-hearted shot. When the ball becomes soft, the ball doesn’t travel. You will not be able to hit the ball into gaps, you will have to put power there,” Kaif told Star Sports.

Reflecting on Kohli’s crucial knock against Steve Smith’s men in the 3rd ODI at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium, Kaif opined that the former India skipper ‘put in the hard yards’ in his fighting innings. “It was a good knock. It was a typical Virat Kohli innings. He put in the hard yards. He pushed the ball into gaps and ran. It was not a very big target – 270 means approximately 5.25 runs per over, so you have time, you were not chasing 350. He took his time there. He hit a four and a six in Agar’s over, which gave him momentum,” Kaif added.

Veteran Indian batter Kohli smashed multiple records in his stoke-filled knock against Australia. The 34-year-old slammed his 65th half-century as the former India captain scored 54 off 72 balls in the series decider at Chennai. However, India folded for 248 in 49.1 overs after Kohli was outfoxed by spinner Agar. With the 21-run win over India, Smith’s Australia sealed the series 2-1 on Wednesday.

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