Harsha Bhogle wants Virat Kohli to play risk-free cricket

Virat Kohli hasn’t had the best of outings thus far in New Zealand. In the three-match ODI series, the Indian captain has been far from his best, succumbing to back-to-back failures. In the opening game at the Seddon Park in Hamilton, the Delhi-born turned up with a half-century before Ish Sodhi got the better of him. At the Eden Park in Auckland, the 31-year-old fell rather cheaply.

To add insult to his injury, the Men in Blue conceded an unassailable 2-0 lead to the Black Caps. He had a chance of making amends in the dead rubber at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. Unfortunately, he couldn’t. He started by playing five dot deliveries on the trot, trying to gauge the conditions and Kiwis bowling. He got off the mark with a streaky shot off Kyle Jamieson.

In the very first ball of the fifth over, Virat decided to take on speedster Tim Southee. He shimmied down the track and deposited the fast bowler over the mid-on region for a colossal six. It was a short-arm full and despite not having not much elevation, the ball landed in the stands. Kohli didn’t calm down and in the seventh over, he tried to take Hamish Bennett to the cleaners.

Virat Kohli fells cheaply in Mount Maunganui

But this time around, Lady Luck closed her eyes on him. Bennett dug the leather short on the pitch and Virat threw the kitchen sink at it. It was outside the off-stump and Kohli tried to cut it away over the point fielder. But he wasn’t in control due to the extra bounce. Subsequently, he ended up mistiming it and Jamieson at short third man took the catch, bending forward.

In the meantime, Harsha Bhogle, the renowned cricket journalist, wasn’t a happy man after Virat’s brash approach in the middle. He reckons that Virat has scaled heights by playing risk-free cricket and he hasn’t seen the captain bat in an aggressive manner at the start of an innings.

He took to Twitter and wrote. “Ben a while since I’ve seen Kohli bat like this at the start of an innings. A slog over mid-wicket, an upper cut…. His greatness as a white ball batsmen has come with cutting out risk and playing fantastic traditional cricket.”

Here is Bhogle’s tweet

Ben a while since I've seen Kohli bat like this at the start of an innings. A slog over mid-wicket, an upper cut…. His greatness as a white ball batsmen has come with cutting out risk and playing fantastic traditional cricket.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) February 11, 2020