Former India batter turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has applauded Virat Kohli for playing a match-winning knock after being dropped in the World Cup 2023 clash between India and Australia as well. However, Australia set the Indian team a 200-run target at Chepauk in Chennai on Sunday, October 8. Mitchell Marsh then dropped Kohli when India were already in dire straits at 20/3. He then went on to score a 116-ball 85 to help his side register a six-wicket win with 52 deliveries in hand as well.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said: “When situations are big, Virat Kohli stands there. Viru (Virender Sehwag) also tweeted that. This is Kohli’s thing that whenever you are in some difficulty, he is seen standing there. He could have got out once. In 2015 as well, he was dismissed similarly while playing the pull shot. We were chasing a total over 300 in Sydney then. Here also it was an extremely easy catch which Mitchell Marsh dropped. You didn’t drop the catch but the match.”
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Aakash Chopra further added: “If it had become 20/4, you would have been done because you would have needed 180 runs after Kohli had gotten out. No chance India would have scored that in my opinion, but they dropped that catch. After that, his batting was enjoyable because the way Kohli started to bat, the vintage Kohli came across.”
However, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood reduced India to 2/3 after two overs. The latter then got Kohli to top-edge a pull shot in the eighth over, but Marsh dropped an easy catch after slight confusion with Alex Carey, who was also running towards the ball as well.
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Aakash Chopra concluded: “He plays well against spin and fast bowling, whether it is the pull or the drive. He stepped out once and hit straight down the ground, that was beautiful. I think that was against Josh Hazlewood. He was hit once on the helmet as well but his best comes out against the Aussies.”
