World Cup: Hazlewood defends Marsh over Kohli's drop catch, backs Australia to bounce after Chennai slump

 

World Cup: Hazlewood defends Marsh over Kohli's drop catch, backs Australia to bounce after Chennai slump

Dropping Virat Kohli, that too in a run chase, is a crime for any opposition. Mitchell Marsh was the offender in this case during the India-Australia World Cup clash in Chennai on Sunday.

While India got reduced to 2 for 3 at one stage in the chase of 200 with three batters back in the hut on ducks, Virat escaped getting caught after his top-edge shot was dropped by Marsh, who ran from the square leg area.

That dropped catch, however, proved too costly for Australia, as Virat went on to score 85, adding 165 runs with KL Rahul for the fourth wicket. As a result, India walked away with a six-wicket win in their CWC 2023 opener. 

Speaking on the repercussions of that particular dropped catch, Josh Hazlewood, who picked two wickets in his first over, defended Marsh, saying Alex Carey running in towards him caught him off-guard, resulting in putting it down.

In hindsight, had that catch been taken, India would have been 20 for four, with chase master Kohli back in the pavilion. 

King Kohli, Rahul march India home

India needed 200 runs to win on a dry Chennai track to open their World Cup with a bang. The start, however, had put them down right away, with three of their top four batters getting out in the space of seven balls.

The pair of Kohli and KL, who, against Pakistan during the Asia Cup, bailed India out of a similar situation, did the job for the team again. 

While Kohli was at his absolute best on Sunday, KL Rahul's return to form strengthened the team's batting, as he slammed an unbeaten 97 to see India home.

In the first innings, it was the spin trio of Ravindra Jadeja (three wickets), Kuldeep Yadav (two wickets) and Ravi Ashwin (one wicket), that ran riot and dismissed Australia on

 199. 

Meanwhile, India will face Afghanistan in their next CWC match in Delhi on Wednesday (Oct. 11).