3 times In an ICC knockout game, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma both lost: Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma seldom lose together in a competitive match. Unfortunately for India, they typically do so in games that have a lot on the line. For instance, during India’s first innings versus Australia in the 2023 World Test Championship final at the Oval.
When Australia’s first innings score of 470 was being chased, the captain Rohit was outfielder by his opposite number Pat Cummins for 15 (26), and Kohali was outfielder by Mitchell Starc’s excellent good-length rising ball for 14 (31). India was 151-5 at the end of the day, 318 runs behind, and had just three recognizable batters left.
No matter how hopeless things appear, the game hasn’t ended yet, and if it does, the second innings could see the two senior stars at their finest.
However, this has given us the opportunity to review three ICC knockout matches when India collectively faltered and couldn’t recover.
Semifinal of the 2019 ODI World Cup against New Zealand
India’s Achilles heel once more was eliminating swing with the new ball in Dhoni’s final international game. They had bad luck in the rain, but they just needed a few strong hits on the reserve day to advance to the final.
KL Rahul, Rohit, and Kohli, the top three, were all dismissed for only one run each. In contrast to Kohali, who was unable to manage the pace and cunning of left-arm seamer Trent Boult and was out LBW, Rohit edged one to be the wicketkeeper against Matt Henry.
The combination between Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja brought the game tantalizingly close but couldn’t stop the humiliating 18-run loss.
India vs Pakistan, 2017 Champions Trophy final
Most likely the game that each Indian supporter wishes they could forget but will never be able to.
After giving up too many runs in the first innings, India was under pressure to score quickly in the second. Mohammad Amir saw the chance and used his left arm wing to pose a question to the Indian hitters that they were unable to respond to.
In the first over, Rohit was out LBW for a three-ball duck after entirely missing a blazing in swinger. When compared to Amir’s control and discipline, Kohali, who had first been cautious, appeared to be in disorder. He was fortunate to have his eight ball dropped at the slips, but he edged a flick on the next and provided a straightforward catch to point for 5 (9).
Young Hardik Pandya’s 76 (43) runs helped the Men in Blue, who were ultimately bowled out for 158, retain some respect.
India vs Australia, 2015 ODI World Cup semi-final
The first is eight years old. Australia thrashed India by 95 runs in the 2015 ODI World Cup semifinal at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
Throughout the entire tournament, Kohli battled, and on his 13th ball against Mitchell Johnson, he mistimed a pull-shot for an easy catch and only returned for one run.
Rohit, who had previously played in the tournament and amassed two half-centuries and a tonne, made a respectable start but was eventually bowled by a stunning delivery from Johnson.
India’s last hope at the Oval, Ajinkya Rahane, hit 44 in that game as well. Dhoni added 65, but India never truly recovered to compete.
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