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Former India captain Virat Kohli was animated on Day 4 of the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) as played the leadership role in the middle. He also orchestrated Steve Smith's dismissal in the second session of Day 4's play. Kohli asked Mohammed Siraj to bowl wide of the crease to Smith in order to outsmart him with the angle.
"Kone se, kone se. Har ball kone se! Usko pasand nahi hai kone se (Bowl from wide of the crease. He doesn't like it from wide of the crease)," Kohli can be seen heard on the stump mic.
The plan worked as Siraj bowled from wide of the crease. Siraj went for the shot away from his body. On the fuller delivery, he went for the drive and edged one to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. Siraj who scored 140 runs in the first innings to break a plethora of records departed after scoring 13 runs from 41 balls.
Kohli gave plenty of instructions and adjusted the field throughout the innings. Siraj benefitted from it as he got the key wickets of Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne. Khawaja was knocked over by Siraj from over the stumps. Siraj got the prized wicket of Labuschagne who got out lbw. Labuschagne scored 70 runs from 139 deliveries.
Siraj was fired up as he silenced the rowdy crowd at the MCG after Khawaja's wicket. Smith gestured with finger on his lips to Siraj but the Indian pacer had the last laugh.
Siraj unimpressive in first innings
In the first innings, Siraj was criticised as he went wicketless. He bowled 23 overs included three maidens and conceded 122 runs. He bowled 10 wides as well. Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar went on to say that Siraj should be dropped from the Test side.
"I think Siraj, perhaps, needs a little bit of a break. In the sense, I am not saying a break, he needs to be told that he is left out of the team for non-performance. There has to be a situation where you can't beat around the bush," he said on Star Sports.
"You need to be brutally upfront and say 'look, your performance has not been up to scratch, and therefore you are being dropped.' When you start talking about 'rest,' players get wrong ideas. They feel they don't need to up their game," he added.
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