What’s the story?
Former Australian skipper Michael Clarke praised Indian skipper Virat Kohli for battling the pain and taking the field despite suffering a shoulder injury while fielding on Day 1 of the third Test at Ranchi which finished in a stalemate.
Clarke believes the extent of Kohli’s injury was much worse than what was revealed and that it was the 28-year-old’s desire to lead his team from the front despite the obvious discomfort he was facing that allowed him to remain a key figure for the rest of the match.
In case you didn’t know...
Kohli suffered the injury, initially believed to be a Grade 1 ligament tear, while attempting to haul the ball near the boundary ropes during the post-lunch session on the opening day of the Ranchi Test. The BCCI later came out with a statement clarifying that Kohli suffered only a strain in his right shoulder and that there was no serious concerns.
Extra Cover: BCCI releases statement on Indian captain's shoulder injury
The news came as a huge sigh of relief for the millions of cricket fans, who initially feared that the talismanic cricketer could miss the rest of the series and while Rahane deputed in Kohli’s absence for the rest of the Australian innings, the Indian skipper did come out to bat at his usual No. 4 slot and also led the side during the Australian second innings.
The heart of the matter
While Clarke believes that Kohli would be fully fit in time for the series decider which begins on Saturday, he does not fully buy the medical reports that have been released regarding the shoulder injury.
The 35-year-old is certain that Kohli played thorugh the pain at Ranchi in order to ensure that he did not let the team down with his absence on the field.
“I think it’s actually a lot worse than people know or that Virat is leading on,” he said. “I think he’s trying to do everything he can to get out onto the park because he knows how important it is as captain to lead from the front. He certainly deserves credit for doing that.”
What’s next?
While the marathon partnership between double-centurion Cheteshwar Pujara and Wriddhiman Saha put India in a strong position heading into the final day’s play at Ranchi. But defiant batting by the pair of Shaun Marsh and Peter Handscomb helped Australia earn a memorable draw and keep the series interestingly poised heading into the final Test which begins at Dharamsala from March 25.
It will be interesting to see whether the Indian team management decides to make any changes to the team combination, which came in for criticism from Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar, given the failure to bowl out the opposition as was widely expected on the final day at Ranchi.
Extra Cover: Virat Kohli does not rule out Mohammed Shami playing in the next Test
Author’s Take
While the ongoing series between India and Australia has been in the news primarily for the animosity between the two sides, on and off the field – Glenn Maxwell’s distasteful mocking of Kohli’s injury was perhaps the lowest point yet. It is welcome to see someone from the Australian camp, albeit a former cricketer, praising Kohli for his efforts at Ranchi.
While he failed with the bat once again and was not able to lead the team to victory, there's no doubting the impact that Kohli’s presence makes for the Indian cricket team, especially when it comes against the Indian skipper’s favourite opposition.
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