SK Flashback: Steve Smith bats India out of the 2015 World Cup

#4 Virat Kohli loses patience and is dismissed

Johnson got Kohli’s wicket off a bouncer to push India on the back foot.

India got off to a stable start as Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan paid respect to the good deliveries and punished the loose ones. Dhawan, in particular, seemed in good knick. But the flashy left-hander has a habit of gifting his wicket when he should be looking for a big score and he fell after scoring 45.

Virat Kohli walked to the crease and it was clear from the outset that he was struggling. He couldn’t find the singles, mistimed his shots and played inside the line. From the first twelve balls he faced, he scored only one run.

Still, he could have persevered. A batsman of his calibre will only struggle for so long and whenever he plays a long innings, India almost certainly win. But on that day it wasn’t meant to be and Kohli couldn’t resist swinging impatiently at a Mitchell Johnson bouncer. The resulting edge was an easy catch for the wicketkeeper.