New Blood Needed To Cure Indian Travel Bug

Dileep Premachandran suggests that India’s old guard have been failing to support captain Virat Kohli away from India

 If he was masochist enough to access the Indian newspapers on the morning he was announced as the ICC’s Cricketer of the Year, Virat Kohli would have seen headlines like “Surrender” and “Disaster Waiting to Happen”.

Much of the copy following South Africa’s series-sealing 135-run victory at Centurion dwelled on him losing his cool at a couple of Press conference questions, while completely ignoring the tone with which they were asked. He left the room seething.

In truth, India had no business losing at Centurion, on a pitch that was almost Asian in character. They had their chances in each of the first three innings. Each time, South Africa wriggled away, or India loosened their grip.

Half a dozen catches were put down, even more poor shots were played. And the two significant partnerships they had did not come close to matching the game’s defining one, the 141 that AB de Villiers (80) and Dean Elgar (61) added after South Africa had slumped to 3-2 in their second innings.

Kohli’s sense of disappointment was all the more acute because of the unforced errors that gifted South Africa control. After Cheteshwar Pujara’s shambolic attempt to run a quick single in the first innings – “He’s slower than a church mouse,” said Michael Holding, after he was run out again in the second – had left India 28-2, Kohli, fluently, and Murali Vijay, doggedly, put together a partnership.

By tea on day two, they were 80-2. Just before they went off for a cuppa, Kohli was overheard on the stump microphones giving Vijay his thoughts in rather robust language.

A polite translation would be: “If we bat until evening, their arses are toast.”