Australia legend launches scathing attack on Virat Kohli for dropping Steven Smith's catch in 1st Test at Nagpur
Former India captain Virat Kohli came under the ire of fans for dropping Australia vice-captain Steven Smith. Smith who had only scored six runs at that time was dropped on the first ball of 16th over bowled by Axar Patel.
Team India had a dream start to their campaign in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as they bowled out Pat Cummins-led Australia for 177 runs in the first innings of Nagpur Test on Thursday. Rohit Sharma and Co. then further tightened their grip on the match by scoring 77/1 by the end of Day 1. Captain Rohit returned unbeaten on 56 runs and KL Rahul's wicket was the only loss for the home side. Meanwhile all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja delivered a fairytale comeback as he grabbed a fifer. Lead spinner Ravichandran Ashwin didn't fall much behind as he joined the party by picking three wickets. The other two wickets were grabbed by the pace duo of Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami.
However, had India held on to a few dropped chances, Australia might have been bowled out for an even lesser score in the first innings. Former India captain Virat Kohli came under the ire of fans for dropping Australia vice-captain Steven Smith. Smith who had only scored six runs at that time was dropped on the first ball of 16th over bowled by Axar Patel.
Former Australia cricketer Mark Waugh who was a great fielder at slips during his playing days, criticised Kohli for the dropped catches. Waugh also pointed out the loopholes in the Indian star's stance while fielding.
"Fielding at slip off the spinners, you got to judge the depth you want to stand. I felt that the catch that Kohli put down, he was rushed into taking the catch. I think there are a few technical things that Kohli can work on. I think his feet are too wide apart. His weight is often on the back of heels rather than on his feet. Sometimes, he looks like he is not expecting the ball. He has got to be expecting the ball every single delivery," Waugh said on Star Sports.
The Australian legend further pitched in with some advice for Kohli to improve his catching skills while fielding at slips.
"You got to be focused and concentrating, which is not something I would ever say Virat Kohli is not doing. He is a great technician with the bat, he concentrates on so hard. May be, sometimes he needs to expect the catches at the first slip. Just a few technical changes, he is a pretty good fielder but slip is a tough spot," Waugh added.
"You have got to read the play. You have got to pretend you are actually batting when you are fielding at first slip to the spinners. It's something that doesn't come naturally for some days," he concluded.
