Noted bowler Josh Hazlewood refuses to believe that Virat Kohli’s dropped catch was the defining moment in the opening match between Australia and India in Chennai. Many believe that the former Indian captain’s missed opportunities ultimately affected the outcome of the match.
India’s top batsmen were unavailable at the start of the match, threatening the team’s performance until Virat Kohli and KL Rahul stabilized India’s innings.
At a crucial point in the game, Kohli gave a pull to square leg. However, Mitchell Marsh was unable to take the catch.
In the post-match press conference, Josh Hazlewood said Virat Kohli’s dropped catch was not an important moment in the match as he felt the ball was still in the air and away from the wicket for too long.
The bowler thought the Australians had a chance as long as Kohli and Rahul’s partnership grew and suggested he was overall satisfied with the team’s performance with the ball.
“No, I don’t think so. It was obviously still early days when that catch was dropped, but the new ball is still fully functional, whether it’s in the air or off the wicket. I knew that the spin would be difficult to play, maybe not as much as it was that day, but still good enough to play.
“And it felt like we were in the game for quite a while until obviously the partnership got bigger and bigger and obviously took us out of it. Yeah, especially I thought we did a good job early in terms of defending the 200,” Josh Hazelwood said.
The Men in Blue have lost in similar circumstances, especially in important matches, but Virat Kohli and KL Rahul struggled to survive the innings.
I Think It Was Mitch’s Catch And Probably Just Carey Got Quite Close In The End – Josh Hazelwood
Josh Hazlewood speculated that Mitchell Marsh may have been dazed by the approach of Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Carey. He highlighted the players’ hard work in training and supported the team to perform well in the upcoming World Cup matches.
“No, I didn’t think Carrie could get there. I think it was Mitch’s catch, but maybe Carrie got pretty close and maybe just scared Mitch. No. Yes, he dropped a catch, it’s one of those things that happens a lot and everyone trains hard and works hard off the field to endure that. Oh yeah, we’re ahead. ” Josh Hazlewood added.
Australia fell into a slump with their bats on the tricky Chepauk wicket as they lost wickets in the middle overs and found themselves in serious straits.
However, the new-ball bowlers brought them back into the match on Sunday by picking quick wickets before KL Rahul and Virat Kohli played the deciding knocks.
