Just navigate your search box on the ‘X’ platform and write down the following keywords – Kohli, cover drive. Curiously, you would notice more criticism than praise in the recent past. In reality, this is one of Virat Kohli’s main weapons in his batting quiver. And it is a shot that has been showered with adjectives and praises. But in the last few years, especially in the longest format, this stroke has come under the scanner for some of his dismissals.
Fans and experts alike have given numerous suggestions. The popular version of the hypothesis is that Kohli should learn to leave more deliveries outside off. But there is a counterargument to it, and it is better to touch upon that subject later on in the discussion.
Meanwhile, Daryll Cullinan, the former South African batter, took to Linkedin to share his thoughts, “The open stance with the front foot retracted back towards square leg is at fault.
“Added to this, Kohli is pressing his front foot straight down the pitch before the ball leaves the bowler’s hand. In a millisecond, turn your front shoulder and get your foot moving across towards the ball outside off stump. It’s impossible,” he said. Basically, in other words, he was asking Kohli to adopt a side-on stance.
As the analysis is coming from a fine batter during his time, it can’t be ignored. Just delve deeper and there is enough merit in it. To capsulise the point further, in the just concluded India-Australia ODI in Perth, Kohli did employ an open stance and was dismissed by Mitchell Starc. Although it has to be mentioned that a lot of right-handers do open up a bit while being up against over-the-wicket left-arm angle.
While facing his 8th delivery of the innings, Kohli’s front foot went straight down the pitch, with the batter throwing his hands at the ball. The head position wasn’t exactly going towards the line of the ball. The resultant outcome was caught at backward point. On a wicket offering extra bounce, the ball too was perhaps not full enough to essay the cover drive.
That is in brief about the dismissal based on Cullinan’s expert analysis. But is there more to Kohli’s attempted cover drives leading to his dismissals? The logical answer would be a yes. In the longest format, in particular, the pace bowlers tended to bowl in the channel outside the off-stump for long periods. The plan is simple, and that is to bowl back of a length or good length deliveries in the one-square foot window outside off. And then bowl the dangled carrot – the fuller one – in the corridor of uncertainty to entice the booming cover drive.
Unfortunately, in the last few years, Kohli has rarely attempted the square cut, punch or the square drive. Not even the late dab to third man. From a pace bowler’s perspective, a back of a length delivery employed in the channel acts as a free zone. As Kohli’s method is built on aggressive intent, it is putting enormous pressure on the cover drive, with him taking some undue risks.
That is exactly what happened in Perth. Hazlewood and Starc combined to bowl three of the first four deliveries on the shorter side and outside off. The following two offerings were fuller, with Kohli essaying an airy-fairy drive and another one knocked to mid-off. The next time Starc pushed it up on the fuller side, Kohli couldn’t resist.
On the brighter side, in ODI cricket, you wouldn’t get to see Perth-like conditions often. Secondly, you don’t expect a slip cordon to last for enough overs. So, the logical conclusion is that Kohli can continue to succeed in the ODI format going into the World Cup. But just as a cricket romantic, it is painful to watch one of the doyens of modern-day cricket shutting down a few of his scoring areas.
AUS vs IND: Mohammad Kaif slams India’s bowlers and Gill’s captaincy calls after Perth defeat