AUS vs IND, 1st Test: Don’t write off Virat Kohli and Steve Smith, warn pundits despite Perth’s failures

Virat Kohli and Steve Smith may have missed the first showcase of the much-awaited Border-Gavskar Trophy, but pundits have warned skeptics not to look too hard at their failure in Perth. Virat Kohli was dismissed just five times and Steve Smith got only the second golden duck of his career; as the batsmen had a nightmare outing on the opening day of the first Test at Optus Stadium.

As many as 17 wickets fell on the opening day, offering extreme seam action, as pacers ran riot on the spicy Perth pitch. India Packed from less than 50 to 150 Australia were reeling at 67 for 7 in 27 overs At Stumps on Day 1, Jasprit Bumrah and Josh Hazlewood were the pick of the bowlers, with four wickets each, as the two master craftsmen made life difficult for the batsmen.

AUS and IND 1st Test, Day 1 Highlights

Virat Kohli has been the talk of the town ever since he landed in Perth. Despite his poor home series against New Zealand, the Australian media and a number of pundits were excited about him. However, Kohli looked nervous in the first innings after India won the toss and elected to bat. The star batsman took guard from outside off stump (where he stood furthest from the stumps while batting) to prevent excessive seaming movement.

But, Josh Hazlewood gets screwed with his delivery He jumped higher than he expected from a good distance.

Speaking to Fox Cricket, former England captain Michael Vaughan said it is too early to judge Virat Kohli, highlighting how his excessive seaming action makes it difficult for most batsmen.

“It’s very difficult to judge him. In Perth, going out of bounds while the ball was bouncing was a tactic that not many people tried and he went for it. He jumped and found the outside edge. But I think now we’ve seen Australia (the bat), it’s obviously a pitch where you have to be proactive because there are a lot of balls out there,” Vaughan said.

“So generally in this period of the game, when the field is doing anything, players try to play aggressively and do things to trouble the bowler. That was not a tactic I would use. But… Virat Kohli is a legend of the game and you had to try to do something,” he added. .

MARK WAUGH DEFENDS STEVE SMITH

Meanwhile, the legendary Mark Waugh jumped to the defense of Steve Smith, who was dismissed LBW by Jasprit Bumrah. Smith walked too far over the stumps and saw a delivery hit him and hit his pads.

Smith didn’t even review the on-field umpire’s call as it looked harsh even in the live visuals. Bumrah managed to pull the ball back significantly and edge it past Smith.

“I don’t want to read too much into this today. I mean, the pitch is pacey enough and Bumrah is a world-class bowler. Over the years people have always questioned Steve Smith’s technique and he has always responded. He’s a good problem solver,” Waugh said.

“I think sometimes he can go too far towards offside with his footwork. So I think that’s something he’s aware of. But I think today, at the first ball, I don’t want to read too much into it.”

Barring KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Nitish Kumar Reddy, none of the other Indian batsmen looked comfortable on Friday. It was even worse for Australia as Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Nitish Reddy ran through their hapless batting unit on a day when 17 wickets fell.

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