Mickey Arthur’s challenge to Kohli: Is the Pakistan coach rattled by his home team’s agony vs India?

At a time when Indian captain Virat Kohli is breaking records at will, the coach of Pakistan cricket team – Mickey Arthur – has thrown a rare challenge at him. Arthur recently called Kohli a “fantastic” player but at the same time, he has also cautioned that his bowlers would not allow easy runs to the Indian batsman who scored his 34th One-Day International hundred in Cape Town on Wednesday to give India an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the six-match series.

Kohli’s highest ODI score is against Pakistan

Arthur’s challenge to Kohli is a healthy practice in today’s cricket, where such challenges are not seen often. But the challenge is more of a mind game than a realistic possibility for Kohli’s superhuman form at the moment would not create any obstacle to his natural flow on any wicket, let alone the placid ones in the sub-continent.

Kohli’s highest ODI score of 183 was in fact scored against Pakistan in the Asia Cup in Dhaka in 2012 while his other hundred (107) against the arch-rivals came on the big stage of the World Cup in Adelaide in 2015. Kohli has scored 459 runs in 12 innings against Pakistan with an average of 45.90 and strike rate of 93.29 which is by no means indicates that he has failed in taming the Pakistani bowlers.

Virat Kohli’s numbers vs Pakistan and overall in ODIs

Mickey Arthur is perhaps pained more by his country’s endless plight

The reason for Arthur’s challenge perhaps lies elsewhere. Being a South African himself, Arthur is not feeling happy to see his home side face such nonstop humiliation. It can be recalled that Arthur himself was the coach of the South African team which had thrashed India 4-0 in an ODI series played in 2006-07 besides winning the Test series 2-1.

Is Arthur feeling nostalgic about the 2006 series?

Arthur is known for his competitive nature and he was particularly vocal ahead of that India-SA series, saying his team would drown India in the bucket of fast wickets and bowling. South Africa had lost 0-1 loss to India in the previous series which was played in India, thanks to Harbhajan Singh’s seven-for on a wearing wicket in the second Test in Kolkata which saw the Proteas crumbling and eventually losing the game and series.

Arthur, who had taken up the reins of his country’s coach a few months later, did not forget the humiliation on turners and made his challenge open as soon as India were due to tour SA in end 2006. Arthur had kept his words as his team blew India away in the ODI series that took place first. Arthur, who had successful stints as coaches of South Africa and Australia but were forced to step down on both occasions, might be feeling frustrated for not being able to take on India like he had done in 2006.

But Arthur also knows that his challenge would make the headlines without facing the risk of being neutralised. There is very little possibility of Kohli playing in Pakistan anytime soon for known reasons and issuing such concern as Arthur did would not call for any loss. A hypothetical challenge would only earn some space in the media, doing little harm to Arthur’s credibility.

Not many bowlers in world cricket can stop Kohli now

Coming back to Kohli’s batting form at the moment, there is very little bowlers across the world can do to stop him at the moment. The man is at his peak and looks to gather more confidence with each of those sublime knocks. One reason for Kohli’s unstoppable run is that the man has complete control over his batting and he is at ease while pacing his innings. There are not many bowlers and captains in world cricket who can beat Kohli in the mind game at the moment.

The blending of aggression and confidence has made him a deadly threat to bowlers and even if Mickey Arthur claims, not many Pakistani bowlers would be confident of executing his plan to perfection. The current batch of Pakistani bowlers are nowhere near in comparison with the former South African greats and talking about a potential obstacle to Kohli’s brilliant run-making capacity is only a wishful thinking.

Arthur’s pain is understandable for India look set to avenge that 0-4 loss of 2006 ruthlessly in the ongoing series but he has to concede the fact that Kohli has gone on to a different level now who would not mind scoring runs against Pakistan in Pakistan as well – the rivalry being an added incentive.