Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli should be ashamed for the humiliation in the Semi-Final vs England

[Mainul]

Rohit made 27 off 28 balls and Virat 50 off 40.

That means this duo ate up 68 deliveries for just 77 runs.

In my opinion the match was lost at that time .

But in post match onfield interview Rohit solely blamed the bowlers.
He should have been most ashamed as a captain leading from the front in this defeat.

 

[Usman Chadda]

They have bottled too many knockout games for India. Credit to the Indian fans who refuse to remember that and don’t bash them like ours do to our team.

India is not so far behind New Zealand in terms of mucking it up at knockout stages.

 

[YousafTheBeast]

lol can’t believe Rohit went after Bhuvi especially after his performance(s) with the bat.

What he should’ve said was, “we were 20-30 runs short, defending a par score against a team like England is never easy for any bowling attack”…

 

[Kroll]

Doubt it, backend of their careers and making millions of IPL dollars.

 

[Rana]

Why Virat?

Rohit and KL should be ashamed

If you can’t play for the team, then you have no business opening the innings!

 

[jnaveen1980]

Kohli is not going to bat like Phil Salt, Buttler. He was never that kind of player. The job had to be from Rohit/Rahul. Kohli has known acceleration issues against leg spinners. Especially Adil Rashid is his nemesis. I don't think he bottled.

 

[MP2011]

Why Virat?

Rohit and KL should be ashamed

If you can’t play for the team, then you have no business opening the innings!

Why not Virat?

He was equally dire today.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Why Virat?

Rohit and KL should be ashamed

If you can’t play for the team, then you have no business opening the innings!

50 off 40 was poor on this pitch .

They both finished, this isn’t IPL with trundlers , Indians need young , fresh blood .

 

[MP2011]

Kohli is not going to bat like Phil Salt, Buttler. He was never that kind of player. The job had to be from Rohit/Rahul. Kohli has known acceleration issues against leg spinners. Especially Adil Rashid is his nemesis. I don't think he bottled.

Lol, so that should excuse his 40 ball 50 on an absolute belter of a track.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Why Virat?

Rohit and KL should be ashamed

If you can’t play for the team, then you have no business opening the innings!

They kept talking about par score 168. So they were basically playing for that. When you bat on a flat pitch like this you have to estimate the par score within few balls and go after it. Even commies kinda told this total is something you can work with. Looking at the way Enlgand went about it even 210 would not have been enough. So yea.. both bowling and batting are to blame. 190 atleast was needed. They pressed the accelerator 5 overs late.

 

[JAV12341]

Nothing to be ashamed off India are a world class team. I said the chasing team will win the match both have devastating batsmen.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Lol, so that should excuse his 40 ball 50 on an absolute belter of a track.

Half way stage everyone said 180 would be enough. Nobody said INdia missed 200. You think 180 is enough against that kind of assault? India lacked bowlers to pin them down. That is also a factor. This and bit of delayed acceleration made it look worse than it is.

 

[Rana]

50 off 40 was poor on this pitch .

They both finished, this isn’t IPL with trundlers , Indians need young , fresh blood .

RizBab fans call 50 off 40 a masterclass even though they are openers

Kohli is number 3!

 

[ex-q-zit]

Considering how short the side boundaries were I was surprised India didn't look to cash on that and hit few 6s. Rohit when he took over the captaincy said he wanted the team to go for runs irrespective of wickets falling. But sadly didn't see any intent from the openers throughout this series except against Ned, BD n Zim. Its unfair to blame the bowlers. 168 on this ground against ENG was way below par.

 

[jnaveen1980]

RizBab fans call 50 off 40 a masterclass even though they are openers

Kohli is number 3!

When you play on flat pitches you need a completely different set of unit. Same England was scratching around against Srilankan part timers on helpful pitch. India conceded 60/0 against BD at Adelaide oval, concede 63/0 aainst England at the same venue. But they did well in other venues. That should have been at the back of their mind that we are playing at Adelaide oval. So you go after well above par score. Didn't happen. Posted less than they posted against bD. England is 10x better than BD.

 

[MP2011]

Half way stage everyone said 180 would be enough. Nobody said INdia missed 200. You think 180 is enough against that kind of assault? India lacked bowlers to pin them down. That is also a factor. This and bit of delayed acceleration made it look worse than it is.

Who are those everyone? Did they play on that pitch?

And whose fault is delayed acceleration? Kohli is blameless in this?

 

[MP2011]

Considering how short the side boundaries were I was surprised India didn't look to cash on that and hit few 6s. Rohit when he took over the captaincy said he wanted the team to go for runs irrespective of wickets falling. But sadly didn't see any intent from the openers throughout this series except against Ned, BD n Zim. Its unfair to blame the bowlers. 168 on this ground against ENG was way below par.

This.

Our batsmen lost us today's game.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Who are those everyone? Did they play on that pitch?

And whose fault is delayed acceleration? Kohli is blameless in this?

Ofcourse he also delayed it. They immediately brought on Livingstone/Rashid. Can you recall a time in Kohli's career where he absolutely thrashed leggies? Even at his peak?

 

[pakistani pride]

India are chockers. They never show up in big ICC events. Last time they won a trophy was a fluke final win in the CT vs Eng. Overrated team.

 

[jnaveen1980]

England played the match up very well.

 

[pillionrider]

Kohli can’t be blamed for this. He was primed to explode and this is how he played even vs Pak. Rohit has been disappointing though.

 

[MP2011]

Ofcourse he also delayed it. They immediately brought on Livingstone/Rashid. Can you recall a time in Kohli's career where he absolutely thrashed leggies? Even at his peak?

So its not Kohli's fault that he can't hit leggies even after playing for so many years!

 

[James]

No personal remarks against any player, umpire, or PP user.

 

[malakian]

Kohli did well, England are just too good.

 

[Zaz]

The batting bowling and fielding failed today If it werent for pandya this wouldve been even embarrassing

The top order cant consume deliveries and then get out and the new ball bowlers had to take wkts upfront to stand a chance

Overall poor poor effort from india today in pretty much every dept

 

[ego-gambit]

Rohit not able to handle pressure with bat and onfield as captain after the post match interview it's confirmed, not a team man as well.

 

[Mainul]

RizBab fans call 50 off 40 a masterclass even though they are openers

Kohli is number 3!

Kohli came on the crease in the 2nd over. So, he got almost whole PP.

But he didn't try to use the PP. He with Rohit should have tried to blast in the powerplay.

Kohli's innings was like that of Misbah in his playing days. Misbah used to be in slower side early in his innings with late flourish later. But in most cases his innings used to hurt Pakistan. But the major difference is Misbah had not many alternatives in the batting line up. But India has.

 

[jnaveen1980]

So its not Kohli's fault that he can't hit leggies even after playing for so many years!

I guess we should drop him and play a guy who is specialist hitter against leg spin

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Why Virat?

Rohit and KL should be ashamed

If you can’t play for the team, then you have no business opening the innings!

LOL its funny how you leave no stone unturned while going after Babar and Rizwan's strike-rate. Yet find no issue with Kohli's sedate 50 off 40 on a flat wicket where Pandya, Buttler and Hales struck at over 160.

The hypocrisy is just hilarious.

 

[MP2011]

I guess we should drop him and play a guy who is specialist hitter against leg spin

The way Kohli has batted in T20s for over an year or so (except for that game against Pakistan), it appears not being able to hit against leg spin isn't his only issue.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Fans have zero clue about Indian batting line up make up. Pandya until this innings have contributed absolutely nothing t o the batting. Pant has absolutely done nothing in T20. Axar/Ashwin are not T20 batsmen. Basically going into the match India's batting stops at 4. So it is entirely down to top 4 to score runs. If you look at the whole tournament. Only two batsmen scored for India. India doesn't have Sam Curran, Moeen Ali, Livingstone coming down the order. So their approach is always to take it deep and give a finishing kick.

 

[jnaveen1980]

This is Indian batting performance in this world cup. Tell me is there anyone trustworthy i

 

[MP2011]

Fans have zero clue about Indian batting line up make up. Pandya until this innings have contributed absolutely nothing t o the batting. Pant has absolutely done nothing in T20. Axar/Ashwin are not T20 batsmen. Basically going into the match India's batting stops at 4. So it is entirely down to top 4 to score runs.

Whose fault is it then?

Who were the ones who kept backing these losers?

 

[Rafa]

What will Kohli do even if he is put into the English side ? Well he suddenly turn into an AB and score 30 ball 100 ? It also has to do with his lack of ability, he is not a free flowing and has a Misbahesque approach..this is the same excuse used by Misbah fans oh he plays slow because nobody to follow after him.

Who is there in the Pakistani side for that matter after openers ?

Masood ? Harris ? Ifti ? Shadab ? Nawaz ?

 

[Slim]

India deserves this humiliation. They scraped against Pakistan due to a freak Kohli performance. They never deserved to be in the semi finals.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Whose fault is it then?

Who were the ones who kept backing these losers?

Ofcourse everyone saw this coming. Even Kohli was not wanted by many coming in. Imagine the plight. India would have got eliminated first round and gone home. T20 is all about form. you have to bring in form players even if they are noob. This conservative seniority based selection for T20 is the worst way of selecting player. So buck stops at Selection committee and Indian team management. No need of post mortem analysis lol. This is something everyone knew even before the world T20. Just be happy atleast we got to semis. You seriously don't think our team is good enough to match this ENgland on a flat track do you?

 

[jnaveen1980]

What will Kohli do even if he is put into the English side ? Well he suddenly turn into an AB and score 30 ball 100 ? It also has to do with his lack of ability, he is not a free flowing and has a Misbahesque approach..this is the same excuse used by Misbah fans oh he plays slow because nobody to follow after him.

Who is there in the Pakistani side for that matter after openers ?

Masood ? Harris ? Ifti ? Shadab ? Nawaz ?

Seriously? Have you not seen Kohli's knocks ? Ripped Malinga to shreds for 24 runs in one over sincei India needed to chase 327 in 39 overs. Scored 100 in 50 balls against Australia. He can play such brutal knocks. Even in semi final world T20 he scored at close to 200. Don't say he lacks ability. He has. Probably he is on his last legs. He was one of the most out of form batsman coming into this tournament.

 

[Rafa]

Seriously? Have you not seen Kohli's knocks ? Ripped Malinga to shreds for 24 runs in one over sincei India needed to chase 327 in 39 overs. Scored 100 in 50 balls against Australia. He can play such brutal knocks. Even in semi final world T20 he scored at close to 200. Don't say he lacks ability. He has. Probably he is on his last legs. He was one of the most out of form batsman coming into this tournament.

Even Babar and Rizwan can score and chase 200+ in T20 matches on their days on helpful conditions..don't bring one of examples ..Kohli cant bat like AB, Maxwell and other explosive batsmen of world cricket .

 

[asfandyar]

I think India have the same dilemma as us.

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

To me Rohit is the culprit.

Less with his batting.

But to have keeper up to your opening bowler means you are telling your premium fast bowler you are not a fast bowler. You should not take wickets but save runs. You are a trundler.

It made him change his length from full to short of length. Took away his teeth.

That to me shows defensive mentality at its peak.

 

[Omer2002]

If we had batted first we would have done the same thats how we play simple

 

[jnaveen1980]

Even Babar and Rizwan can score and chase 200+ in T20 matches on their days on helpful conditions..don't bring one of examples ..Kohli cant bat like AB, Maxwell and other explosive batsmen of world cricket .

Of course Kohli can't bat like SKY either. or even like Pandya today. But he can up the ante to acceptable levels. Didn't he score like 36 runs in the last 3 overs against Pakistan? He is still cut above the Babars and Rizwans. You are comparing Kohli with specialist strikers. Can you tell me what Maxwell did in this world t20?

 

[jnaveen1980]

The same English side came a cropper against Ireland at the MCG. Buttler 0(2) Hales 7(5). One flat pitch. England outbatted us. everyone out with knives.

 

[RajBan]

Ha ha. The Pakistani are sympathetic while Indian fans are in denial. They still understand that the outcome is linked with approach which in turn is closely tied with the personel given how consistent India has been in knockout matches since 2015.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Ha ha. The Pakistani are sympathetic while Indian fans are in denial. They still understand that the outcome is linked with approach which in turn is closely tied with the personel given how consistent India has been in knockout matches since 2015.

Dude none of them is choke. They deservedly lost. There are two teams playing. if one outperforms you that is not a choke. They are better side on that day. India at most would have added 20 more runs and be happy with that as even English commies said 180 would be a defendable total. You talk everything in hindsight after the assault.

 

[Ab Fan]

Indian team report card :-

Rohit - Disaster
Rahul- Flop
Kohli - Hit
Suryakumar - Hit
Pandya - Hit
DK - Disaster
Axar - Disaster
Ashwin - Flop
Shami - Below Average
Bhuvi - Below Average
Arshdeep - Hit

Only 4 players got hit tag.

 

[Ab Fan]

Of course Kohli can't bat like SKY either. or even like Pandya today. But he can up the ante to acceptable levels. Didn't he score like 36 runs in the last 3 overs against Pakistan? He is still cut above the Babars and Rizwans. You are comparing Kohli with specialist strikers. Can you tell me what Maxwell did in this world t20?

He scored 48 in last 3 overs vs Pakistan.

 

[jnaveen1980]

He scored 48 in last 3 overs vs Pakistan.

Exactly. Bangladeshi fan is showing fake outrage over Kohli's innings lol. He and SKy were the only two batters showed up in this world cup until Hardik today.

 

[SalimBhai]

England is playing a different style of cricket than everyone else

 

[jnaveen1980]

England is playing a different style of cricket than everyone else

It works only on flat tracks. Seen enough of them. They go either bonkers or completely clueless against swing. Same English side couldn't buy a run against ireland at the MCG

 

[RexRex]

England is playing a different style of cricket than everyone else

Buttler and Hales handed a spectacular boshing to India. I'm not sure they can replicate that with Rauf and Afridi though.

 

[adzzy786]

We deserved that humiliation

 

[RajBan]

Dude none of them is choke. They deservedly lost. There are two teams playing. if one outperforms you that is not a choke. They are better side on that day. India at most would have added 20 more runs and be happy with that as even English commies said 180 would be a defendable total. You talk everything in hindsight after the assault.

It's not just about choking, it is about glorifying mediocre players and making them a permanent fixture in T20s where the approach needed is very different. And the entire ecosystem including media is in sync to protect these guys like a mafia. I have seen enough cricket from these bunch to know that mediocrity is protected while any new talent that has style different to status quo will remain outside the team.

I have not seen a single Pakistani commentator trying to defend their performance when they lost against Zimbabwe. Until and unless there is humility and acknowledgement, one can't progress if they prefer to remain in denial.

 

[Ab Fan]

Exactly. Bangladeshi fan is showing fake outrage over Kohli's innings lol. He and SKy were the only two batters showed up in this world cup until Hardik today.

This tournament concludes only two thing and one of them is that Rohit is not a great T20I batter. For an opener, if you have not been a prolific run scorer in any of the World T20 tournaments that you have played, that's embarrassing.

On Rahul, less said the better.

The second point obviously being that Bhuvi is nowhere near elite level in his best format which is T20Is. That's saddening because he makes it to our all time T20I XI.

 

[RajBan]

Indian team report card :-

Rohit - Disaster
Rahul- Flop
Kohli - Hit
Suryakumar - Hit
Pandya - Hit
DK - Disaster
Axar - Disaster
Ashwin - Flop
Shami - Below Average
Bhuvi - Below Average
Arshdeep - Hit

Only 4 players got hit tag.

Not sure Pandya can be hit based on only couple of innings. He did decent, I will say.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Buttler and Hales handed a spectacular boshing to India. I'm not sure they can replicate that with Rauf and Afridi though.

Didn't Harry Brook score 81 in 35 balls against Haris Rauf reecntly? Only reason they may not score is because this pitch will not be flat at the MCG. Same Buttler came a cropper against India in England.

 

[Ab Fan]

Not sure Pandya can be hit based on only couple of innings. He did decent, I will say.

Pandya is all rounder, not a batsman. He is definitely a hit based on his performance with bowl which was good enough to be declared as second best bowler of the tournament for India and then he played a terrific knock with bat today.

 

[jnaveen1980]

It's not just about choking, it is about glorifying mediocre players and making them a permanent fixture in T20s where the approach needed is very different. And the entire ecosystem including media is in sync to protect these guys like a mafia. I have seen enough cricket from these bunch to know that mediocrity is protected while any new talent that has style different to status quo will remain outside the team.

I have not seen a single Pakistani commentator trying to defend their performance when they lost against Zimbabwe. Until and unless there is humility and acknowledgement, one can't progress if they prefer to remain in denial.

Honestly, Nobody liked the squad from the outset. This result was very expected even before the World T20. aging seniors, trundle attack, zero wrist spin option, poor fielding unit. India never had the team to go all the way.

 

[Mainul]

Honestly, Nobody liked the squad from the outset. This result was very expected even before the World T20. aging seniors, trundle attack, zero wrist spin option, poor fielding unit. India never had the team to go all the way.

India has all the ingredients told win this world cup but they have left those back home. I believe it. The amount of real talents and capable players India have, they should win every world cup. But the Arone squad selection has finished everything.

 

[Mainul]

Rohit Sharma is finished. He shall only be successful against trundlers and Dibley Dibley pacers on home soil.

Virat is past his prime though much better than Rohit. He should be seen for another year .

Rahul is in off form. He shouldn't have been carried with the team.

A wrist spinner should always be in the squad. India badly missed Chahal.

 

[MP2011]

It's not just about choking, it is about glorifying mediocre players and making them a permanent fixture in T20s where the approach needed is very different. And the entire ecosystem including media is in sync to protect these guys like a mafia. I have seen enough cricket from these bunch to know that mediocrity is protected while any new talent that has style different to status quo will remain outside the team.

I have not seen a single Pakistani commentator trying to defend their performance when they lost against Zimbabwe. Until and unless there is humility and acknowledgement, one can't progress if they prefer to remain in denial.

This.

We are living in denial if we think we did well by progressing to SF with this squad. If you get mauled so badly in a SF, might as well not reached there in the first place.

 

[MP2011]

Ofcourse everyone saw this coming. Even Kohli was not wanted by many coming in. Imagine the plight. India would have got eliminated first round and gone home. T20 is all about form. you have to bring in form players even if they are noob. This conservative seniority based selection for T20 is the worst way of selecting player. So buck stops at Selection committee and Indian team management. No need of post mortem analysis lol. This is something everyone knew even before the world T20. Just be happy atleast we got to semis. You seriously don't think our team is good enough to match this ENgland on a flat track do you?

As I said earlier, reaching SF is nothing to be happy about for a team with so much resources at its disposal. If you are happy with this showing, good for you.

 

[MP2011]

What will Kohli do even if he is put into the English side ? Well he suddenly turn into an AB and score 30 ball 100 ? It also has to do with his lack of ability, he is not a free flowing and has a Misbahesque approach..this is the same excuse used by Misbah fans oh he plays slow because nobody to follow after him.

Who is there in the Pakistani side for that matter after openers ?

Masood ? Harris ? Ifti ? Shadab ? Nawaz ?

Well said. Only die hard Kohli fans will give him a free pass after his today's horror show.

 

[Colorblind Genius]

lol can’t believe Rohit went after Bhuvi especially after his performance(s) with the bat.

What he should’ve said was, “we were 20-30 runs short, defending a par score against a team like England is never easy for any bowling attack”…

20, 30?

The way England was batting, India was a good 100 runs short.

 

[Front Foot Pull]

Rohit needs to retire immediately from the T20Is. VK should think about adding more scoring shots or follow rohit.

 

[Mainul]

Exactly. Bangladeshi fan is showing fake outrage over Kohli's innings lol. He and SKy were the only two batters showed up in this world cup until Hardik today.

I am particularly talking about his innings today, not that against Pakistan. Please read the title again.

There is nothing to do with Bangladeshi or Nepali here . Unless he raises any uncricketing or nonsense point , anyone can have a discussion.I was openly supporting England today but I feel for this Indian team too.

 

[jnaveen1980]

As I said earlier, reaching SF is nothing to be happy about for a team with so much resources at its disposal. If you are happy with this showing, good for you.

This is not a breaking news. Based on the team selection everyone could kind of second guess where they will finish. Thanks to early season conditions ball was swinging big and Arshdeep helped us land some punches. Moment they got exposed to flat pitches we were found wanting. This one could see from a mile away lol This is not really something unexpected. Even England's sailing was not really smooth. They had their hiccups too. But they have depth and they could share the load. India's load is shared by two seamers in swinging conditions and two batsmen and one all rounder. That's it. So if the pitch is flat India is down to depending on two batsmen. Even Kohli was not expected to fire. You see everyone is aware of this limitations. We pick a garbage squad. what do we expect?

 

[Cric1234]

20, 30?

The way England was batting, India was a good 100 runs short.

If India scored 200 the chase would’ve been different a few wickets falling it would’ve been close clearly they were under par if this was Pakistan Babar and Rizwan supporters would say they did their job well and got Pakistan to a competitive score.

 

[Savak]

Soorya Kumar Yadav's 60's of 25 deliveries were making Kohli's slow 50's count for something. Today Sky did not fire and hence no Kohli's knock looks really bad.

 

[boomboomcheema]

Soorya Kumar Yadav's 60's of 25 deliveries were making Kohli's slow 50's count for something. Today Sky did not fire and hence no Kohli's knock looks really bad.

Correct. Today , still Pandya played a blinder to provide respectability to Kohli's knock but so poor was Kohli's knock that inspite of Pandyas knock India barely managed to reach a below par total , which was easily chased in the end.

 

[shariqnoor]

Rohit has completely lost his fear factor, at least in T20s. Kohli for all of his greatness struggles to assess a good score on a pitch when he's batting first. Kohli has a set template for all pitches when he's batting first which is to score 30 off 26 balls and then decide to launch after the 15th over. Babar has a similar problem when batting first. Both of them though are master chasers because they exactly know at what pace they need to play from the outset.

Away from home, against the Big 5 (Aus, NZ, Eng, SA, Pak) when batting first, Kohli's SR is only 127. Only in 2 innings has he taken the attack to the opposition - once in Adelaide in 2016 and in Melbourne the very next match where his SR's were 163 and 179 respectively. Otherwise, Kohli has never been a thorn to the opposition. It's not that Kohli doesn't have the ability to play at a 170 SR like Surya. It's just that the intent is never there.

 

[Ab Fan]

Correct. Today , still Pandya played a blinder to provide respectability to Kohli's knock but so poor was Kohli's knock that inspite of Pandyas knock India barely managed to reach a below par total , which was easily chased in the end.

Against BD, he scored 64 of 44.

Today, he got 50 of 40.

 

[Colorblind Genius]

If India scored 200 the chase would’ve been different a few wickets falling it would’ve been close clearly they were under par if this was Pakistan Babar and Rizwan supporters would say they did their job well and got Pakistan to a competitive score.

If India had scored 200, this defeat would've been even more humiliating.

 

[Energy]

Honestly speaking I used to rate Rohit higher than Kohli when they both started their careers. I thought Rohit was much more naturally gifted.

It's disappointing as to how much he has regressed lately.

 

[MP2011]

Lol at those who absolve Indian batting of all blame for our last 2 abject surrenders in WT20s.

 

[JaDed]

I think we all know except SKY, Hardik majority are just playing for themselves now, any amount of crying on social media etc and all the struggle stories of Virat, Rohit by their PR machines are such nonsense but subcontinent fans are full of emotions.

Shastri was defn better than this but I wouldn't have an issue with Gauti being the team manager itself right now or Kumble.
I think we need players and team management that are pro winning than just the sales people masked as players currently.

 

[Banda298]

It's not just about choking, it is about glorifying mediocre players and making them a permanent fixture in T20s where the approach needed is very different. And the entire ecosystem including media is in sync to protect these guys like a mafia. I have seen enough cricket from these bunch to know that mediocrity is protected while any new talent that has style different to status quo will remain outside the team.

I have not seen a single Pakistani commentator trying to defend their performance when they lost against Zimbabwe. Until and unless there is humility and acknowledgement, one can't progress if they prefer to remain in denial.

Well said bhai. The likes of Nalla Rahul , Chakkar patel etc will keep getting chances . DK was run out by Kohli , and couldn't connect against Pak , his margin of error is zero so cant say he failed. Failed are like rahul sharma , and even kohli today who got out after being set for last two overs. Axar doesnt even belong to India A imo. And needs akhadas like Ahmedabad pitch to show his skills

Missed Ravi jadeja bumrah a lot

 

[ego-gambit]

What will Kohli do even if he is put into the English side ? Well he suddenly turn into an AB and score 30 ball 100 ? It also has to do with his lack of ability, he is not a free flowing and has a Misbahesque approach..this is the same excuse used by Misbah fans oh he plays slow because nobody to follow after him.

Who is there in the Pakistani side for that matter after openers ?

Masood ? Harris ? Ifti ? Shadab ? Nawaz ?

Virat Kohli role is similar to that of David Malan, every team needs one batsman like him. Good thing about Pakistan is they are not losing wickets in middle phase of the game. Iftikhar & Shan making sure one end is guarded.

 

[cric_man]

Rohit (and Pant) looked grossly out of shape along with out of form. He middled 2 strokes in his innings today.

 

[Savak]

Rohit (and Pant) looked grossly out of shape along with out of form. He middled 2 strokes in his innings today.

Looks like Dravid like Saqlain has given leeway to the players with regards to fitness, body fat levels, eating habits e.t.c. Sub continent players need a Mickey Arthur type danda to keep in shape, they cannot be trusted to be professionals on their own. Not everyone can be a gym rat like Virat Kohli