What’s the story?
Virat Kohli might have missed the fourth Test with a shoulder injury but the fact that he was carrying drinks on day one has also come under scrutiny by former Australian Test players. Brendon Julian and World Cup-winning keeper Brad Haddin both questioned the reason why India’s captain across all formats was carrying drinks when he had an injury and should have had “ice” on his shoulder.
"The one sight out there that was quite puzzling was Virat Kohli out there running some drinks. This is the captain that said, 'I can't actually play because I have a shoulder injury' out there running the drinks," Julian said.
Brad Haddin added that while Kohli was trying to just be a team player, his move might have undermined Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy.
The former Australian wicketkeeper said: “I also think he’s good for the game and he's a world class batter, but what about Rahane. He (Rahane) was out there captaining the team and you don't want him running on because you know how big a personality he is in the change-room. It's his time to captain and what if he had different views on what Kohli has. Talk to him by all means in the change-room, but you're injured. Sit down and get some ice on your shoulder.”
Extra Cover: Brad Hodge questions Virat Kohli’s priority between the national team and IPL 2017
In case you didn’t know...
During the Ranchi Test, Virat Kohli injured his shoulder after he ran after a ball that was hit by Peter Handscomb off the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja. After contrasting reports about whether he will play any part in the series, he played the rest of the Ranchi Test but was replaced by Kuldeep Yadav for the decider at Dharamsala.
The Details
During Australia’s innings on day one, Kohli came out carrying drinks and earned huge cheers from the crowd for his decision to put the team’s needs above all else. BCCI even posted a video of the same on Facebook in which Brett Lee, who was doing commentary, said: "He must be the most expensive drinks boy in the world”.
Although the move was appreciated by plenty of fans and drew a positive response, it hasn't gone down well with former Australian players. Brad Hodge questioned the priorities of Kohli as he chose to skip the fourth Test and saying he wouldn’t be the first to choose the IPL money.
Video
Author’s Take
Even though he had a shoulder injury, the fact that he was willing to carry drinks, irrespective of whether the move showed him in good light or was tactical, was proof that he was it was he was willing to be of any assistance to the team. By carrying out the drinks on day one, all Kohli was trying to do is show that he was the quintessential team man, which is something that should be praised not something that is worthy of pointing fingers at.
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