Don’t write off champions: Nathan Lyon on Kohli’s recent batting slump
The Australian team must be hoping to take advantage of Virat Kohli’s prolonged batting slump when the two sides clash in the five-Test series for the Border-Gavaskar trophy
When asked about one knock in international cricket he wishes to have played, “1998 desert storm” was the reply of India skipper Virat Kohli.
Kohli poured his heart out during a fun conversation hosted by India football skipper Sunil Chhetri on Instagram on Sunday.
Kohli, who is often compared with Tendulkar for his class and consistency, spoke about the ‘Master Blaster’s’ iconic knock against Australia in Sharjah in 1998.
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“The one knock in international cricket you wished you had played?” Chhetri asked as quoted by IANS.
“1998 desert storm,” Kohli answered straight away.
“Which one, the first one in the semi-final or the final?” Chhetri further asked.
“The first one where we qualified for the final,” Kohli clarified.
22 years ago, Tendulkar produced what many consider one of the greatest knocks ever played in the history of limited-overs cricket.
The legendary batsman single-handedly powered India into the Coca Cola Cup final with an astonishing 131-ball 143 against Australia in Sharjah. His valiant knock was laced with nine fours and five sixes.
Despite Sachin’s 100, India fell short of the revised target of 276 off 46 overs by 26 runs but his innings was enough to help India cross the required 237-run mark to end up ahead of New Zealand and claim a place in the final of the tournament.
Two days later, India met the same opponent at the same venue in the final and Tendulkar produced yet another century and this time helped India beat Australia and lift the cup. Sachin ended up with 435 runs from five games in the tournament.
(With inputs from IANS)
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