'The moment Virat Kohli got out, things changed drastically post that' - Dinesh Karthik opines after series loss against Australia

After India lost their first ODI series at home since 2019, unattended spots have been exposed in the team's lineup which have now become talking points among fans and experts. With the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup speculated to commence on October 5, India must address all the woes at the earliest and attempts to throw light on them have been made by various experts. 

Recently, former Indian wicketkeeper and present-day commentator Dinesh Karthik lashed out at many stars of the Indian team as he discussed his observations in a conversation with Cricbuzz. Karthik believed Kohli's wicket to be the major turning point in India's chase which then effected a domino fall of the Indian batting lineup. He also seemed disappointed with KL Rahul for being sedate throughout the partnership with Virat Kohli and failing to last for more than five-six deliveries when he eventually decided to go big. He further said that Hardik avoided playing big shots and 'went into a shell' after Kohli got out.  

"KL Rahul and Virat Kohli stitched a partnership in which Virat Kohli started positively, but KL Rahul was sedate through it. When KL Rahul started going, he lasted just five to six balls. When Hardik Pandya came, he took on and started playing shots. The moment Virat Kohli got out, things changed drastically post that. Hardik went into a shell and wasn't trying to play those big sweeps that he played at the outset. He controlled himself and played to the situation," said Karthik.

He further questioned Kohli's shot selection and his timing to play Agar in the air which saw him giving away his wicket. He wondered whether Kohli should have delayed that fateful shot after giving the ball some flight while attempting to play a similar shot in the previous over.

“He started really well and played some attractive shots. He was bogged down a little by spin through the middle but fought it through in typical Kohli style. He made a tactical error. It was Ashton Agar's last over. Should he have delayed that shot, considering he tried it in the previous over and it almost carried? He'd be very disappointed thinking that there was a chance for him to take the team through and he didn't,” Karthik added. 

Zampa and Agar dismantled India's batting to claim historic ODI series victory

After being troubled by Mitchell Starc in the first couple of ODIs, India succumbed to the wrath of the spinners in the third ODI to hand a series victory to the visitors. The Chennai pitch has always been known to cater to the spinners and it was no different during the third ODI either.

Chasing a target of 270, India took off to a solid start courtesy of a half-century-stand for the first wicket between Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. Rohit Sharma was dismissed in the last over of the powerplay by Sean Abbott which was soon followed by Gill's dismissal by Adam Zampa. The leg spinner bettered his numbers by picking up three more crucial wickets, thus crushing India's hopes of winning the series. After dismissing a rather well-settled KL Rahul in the 28th over, he ended Hardik Pandya's 40-run innings before quickly following it up with the wicket of Ravindra Jadeja to claim a four-wicket haul.

Ashton Agar, on the other hand, picked the crucial wicket of Virat Kohli who scored the highest for India in the unsuccessful run-chase. Agar also disturbed Suryakumar Yadav's furnitures to hand him the horrible record of being the only Indian to get out on golden ducks on three ODIs of a bilateral series.

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