India v Australia: It's déjà vu for Virat Kohli against the Aussies

The Indian team was in fantastic form in the first ODI as far as their bowling performance is concerned. They were right up there and bowled a perfect line and length which unsettled the Aussie batters. However, the Indian batting performance was a bit shaky. The first five wickets fell for only 87 runs while the number 5, 6 and 7 accumulated 193 runs.

The last time that happened was in 1983 against Zimbabwe. This shows how poor the top order’s show was. Thanks to the brilliant partnership between MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya the Indian ship was steadied and taken to a par score. Dhoni made a brilliant half-century so did Pandya. The former scored 79 while the latter managed 83 in just 66 balls.

Virat Kohli and the Aussies… again!

Virat Kohli struggled to find his form against the Aussies during the Test series. He performed miserably and only made 46 runs in the four matches. However, he sprung back to life against the West Indies and continued to perform against the Sri Lankans. That said, he was in supreme form just as he was entering the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

A lot was expected from Kohli coming into the first ODI, however, just like the Test series he was out for a duck in the first game as well. He registered a duck in the first innings at the MCA and so he did at the Chepauk. The Indian captain needs to introspect as the team from down under has very specific plans for him. A lot depends on him when it comes to ODI cricket as there is no stability in the middle order if not for Virat.

Smith – The man with a plan

Steve Smith did mention that they have plans for Kohli in the presser before the game. He said that if they are able to take out the 28-year-old early then they will go a long way in the tournament.

“He (Kohli) is obviously a very good player and has a phenomenal ODI record. Hopefully, we can keep him quiet as much as possible in this series. If we do that then hopefully it can go a long way in us having success on this tour,” said Smith while talking to the media.