India vs Australia: ‘Impulsive captain’ Virat Kohli changing bowlers frequently – Ashish Nehra

The 2nd ODI between India and Australia saw Virat Kohli’s bowling line-up struggling again on a dry surface that had little on offer for the bowlers. But one of the unexpected features of the match was how frequently Virat Kohli kept changing his bowlers. While it was Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah who started the attack for India, the former was replaced by Navdeep Saini after just two overs.

While it looked Kohli wanted Shami to change the end from where he was bowling, the India captain let Sain continue the attack, instead of bringing back Bumrah.

Kohli also gave overs to Mayank Agarwal and Hardik Pandya in the middle when his bowlers struggled in the middle.

Speaking in an interaction on Cricbuzz, former India pacer Ashish Nehra said that Kohli is an impulsive captain, but he needs to figure out when to change his bowlers.

“In today’s game, Virat Kohli gave two overs to Mohammed Shami and then brought Navdeep Saini. He wanted Shami to bowl from the other end, that I understand, but then, why would he use Jasprit Bumrah for only two overs with the new ball?” Nehra said.

“I agree Virat Kohli is making frequent changes in bowling. He only had five bowling options. India used Mayank Agarwal and Hardik Pandya – it was a decision made on the ground. If things were going in India’s way, you would not have seen these two getting an over.

“Virat Kohli is being hasty in his decisions. In the previous game (first ODI) as well, after Kohli was dropped, it seemed like he is in a hurry. Kohli has chased 350 several times in his career, it is not a big deal for him. But it seemed like he was chasing 475, not 375,” Nehra added.

“I believe, Kohli is an impulsive captain. He is making too many changes in his bowling. And this is an area that he needs to take care of,” Nehra signed off.

Australia took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series after beating India by 51 runs in the 2nd ODI. The two teams will play the third and final ODI on Wednesday.