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India prove they are not Kohli-centric

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11th December, 2018
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Before this series began, much of the hype surrounded India’s talismanic captain and superstar batsman, Virat Kohli.

He was called ‘the head of the snake’ by some reporters. ‘Get Kohli out, and the entire Indian batting line up will collapse’, said others.

Some went as far to say that India’s hopes in winning a maiden Test series in Australia lied purely on Kohli’s leadership and batting.

The Kohli fandom reached fever pitch when cricket.com.au uploaded a video to Instagram filming him batting in the nets, with the ‘sound on’ emoji placed in the post, encouraging fans to listen to him hit the ball cleanly in the short clip.

Yes, Kohli is an exceptional cricketer with phenomenal talent and an obvious passion for the game, however the Adelaide Test has shown his team do not rely solely on him to win.

This team is not a one-man-band – I know, it’s shocking. Incredulous. Certainly dumbfounding.

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Australia paid a huge price for focusing most of pre-match bowling and fielding strategies on taking the Indian skipper’s wicket. Kohli certainly had a quiet match by his own meteoric standards, but what the Aussies failed to realise was just how strong and defiant the rest of this Indian batting line up could be.

The main star and lynchpin of India’s famous victory was the quiet achiever Cheteshwar Pujara, who is averaging a Bradmanesque 97.00 runs for this series so far. Didn’t see that one coming, did you?

Perhaps cricket.com.au should upload a video of his net session next time, or maybe Shane Warne should ask Pujara his favourite dance moves to ‘Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle’. Maybe then this Aussie bowling attack will wake up and realise that there’s a lot more to this Indian team than just King Kohli. Don’t forget Prince Pujara too.

Batting aside, India’s bowling cartel galvanised this victory. They were phenomenal.

Ravi Ashwin looks like a spinner reborn. Ishant Sharma runs in like a thoroughbred stallion – his long, dark, beautiful black locks flowing nonchalantly in the wind as he consistently bangs it in at over 140 km/h.

Mohammad Shami is no taller than the diminutive Ricky Ponting but he is a strong, powerfully built man whose unerring pace and accuracy proved too difficult to get away from.

Jasprit Bumrah has one of the most awkward and unusual bowling actions and run-ups for a fast bowler, but it is remarkably effective and caused plenty of headaches.

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These four hunted as a pack, exploited the conditions exceptionally and kept their cool, patience and discipline when under pressure. It was pure magic.

The final scorecard shows that India’s famous win was a team effort. When Kohli failed with the bat, Pujara stood up.

Bumrah and Ashwin took six wickets apiece, Shami five and Sharma three – although the latter deserved more, given his no-ball problem in the second innings.

This game has shown that India have the depth, strength and skill level to deliver when it matters most. Such qualities are the key ingredients necessary to topple the Aussies at home.

Australia fought hard towards the end, but India always had their noses slightly in front and capitalised on the key moments.

The home team now faces an uphill battle for the Perth Test. New bowling plans and tactics will need to be developed for each of visitors’ main batsmen, or else an Indian whitewash could be well on the cards.

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