Here’s a question for you: How do you put into context the outcome of the Ranchi Test?
From an Australian point of view, the first two days were nearly perfect. They won the toss and opted to bat. Then, despite the initial brouhaha over the state of the pitch, it turned out to be a batting beauty. So, they put up 451 runs on the board, getting into a position to dictate terms in the match.
Now, from an Indian point of view, despite the placid wicket, it was a daunting total. More so with Virat Kohli failing to get going once again, but the hosts were placed at 320/6 at one stage. From there, they scored 603-9 declared and took a 152-run lead, putting pressure on Australia to survive the final day’s play.
It puts four out of five days of that Ranchi Test in some perspective – Australia won two, India won two. Yet, the question still remains. How do you look at this match?
India battled back against a tall score, with one of their own and then exerted pressure for the remainder of the match. They were four wickets away from a stunning come-from-behind victory, like the ones fashioned against England in Mumbai and Chennai.
Australia were 23-2 at stumps on day four and had the daunting prospect of batting out 90 overs on a day five track against the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. They only lost four wickets as Peter Handscomb and Shaun Marsh put on an impressive grind, which lasted 69.1 overs.
Did Australia save this match or did they concede a position of advantage? Did India accede that position of strength or did they let go of a potential victory? Just who finished with an upper hand in that third Test? With the series pegged at 1-1, who walked away with bragging rights?
The Aussies at practice..at India's 27th Test venue - The HPCA Stadium at Dharamsala... #IndvAus pic.twitter.com/EEmZXUHmkD
— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) March 24, 2017
“If there’s anything called momentum, it’s with us at the moment. India would have expected to bowl us out and I am sure they are hurting a little bit in their change room,” said Steve Smith in the post-match press conference at Ranchi.
Virat Kohli begged to differ, of course. “From 320-odd for six down, to make 600 runs was a difficult task. We put ourselves in a winning position. We didn’t need to bat in the second innings, but they had to play for a draw,” he said.
They did agree on one thing, though. Coming on the heels of a heated series thus far, that drawn Test in Ranchi spiced up the impending fourth Test in Dharamsala even further. It is winner-takes-all, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on the line.
“It doesn’t affect me, it never has. But I am just surprised that just one individual is affecting so many people. If it helps them sell news, good luck to them,” said Kohli in the pre-match press conference on Friday.
Through this series, and over the past two weeks, the India captain has been subjected to a constant barrage of criticism. From vilification for his part in DRS-gate, to on-field mocking antics, Cricket Australia officials getting involved needlessly, and anyone and everyone Down Under making their opinion on his conduct known, their has been a never-ending deluge from the Australian camp against Kohli.
Of course, it is in keeping with how Australian cricket, and their media, work together to target the opposition captain. Over the years, it has been termed as ‘mental disintegration’, and in this particular case, it has gone a little over the top.
To their credit, though, it has worked like a charm. Kohli has scores of 0, 13, 12, 15 and 6 in three Tests this series (a total of 46 runs in five innings at 9.20), his worst run since the miserable 2014 tour of England.
Over time, across different sports and not just on the cricket field alone, we have witnessed how certain individuals can single-handedly impact the direction of play, and indeed the outcome of a contest. But when was the last time one person, who hasn’t done enough in recent games, still held the key to both teams’ fortunes?
Is it a surprise that all Australian guns are still trained on Kohli, almost fearful that his reply after three silent Tests will be as fearsome as his ever-growing stature in world cricket?
In focus - captain @imVkohli #TeamIndia #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/znphTiVmtA
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 24, 2017
Is there any doubt that this Indian team look half the side without Kohli, irrespective of the format? There is major cause for concern for the No.1 ranked Test side, as Kohli is a doubtful starter for the Dharamsala Test.
He had injured his right shoulder whilst fielding on day one in Ranchi, and he isn’t fully fit. He didn’t bat in the nets on Thursday, 48 hours before the match, and on Friday too, he only had a light practice routine.
“I will only take the field if I am a hundred percent fit,” said Kohli, adding that he will undergo a fitness test on Saturday morning.
It puts the fate of this Test, and indeed the series, into some perspective. For a batsman who promised so much on the back of his brilliant form and didn’t deliver, for a player who has been under a constant sledging from the opposition camp, the series pegged at 1-1 going into a decider would have been the optimal stage for a response with the bat.
If Kohli is absent, it will handicap India undoubtedly, never mind that Ajinkya Rahane will step in to lead. Will it also embolden Australia to go for the kill and win their first Test series on Indian soil since 2004-05?
Come toss time on Saturday, momentum from Ranchi will not matter thus. It will only be about the impact of Kohli’s availability, or indeed his absence from the Indian team sheet.
