Whenever it comes to chasing a big mountain of runs on the international cricket field, the names of the two biggest pillars of the Indian cricket team i.e. captain Rohit Sharma and veteran batsman Virat Kohli first come to mind. But it has been proved once again how strange the game of cricket is. When Team India had a huge and extremely difficult target of 334 runs to win, then the charismatic innings that the entire 140 crore people were expecting from these two most experienced and great batsmen of the country could not be achieved. The way both the greats got out quickly and returned to the pavilion as soon as they entered the field, it left the entire stadium in silence. If we turn the pages of statistics, such an unfortunate and shameful scene has been seen in the history of Indian cricket after a long gap of 16 years, when these two greats, known as chase masters, proved to be complete flops together. When the target was a mountain of 334 runs, then India's innings disintegrated in the initial overs itself. At the beginning of the match, when the opposing team had posted a huge score of 334 runs on the board, it was clear that the Indian team was in dire need of a strong and steady start to achieve victory. Captain Rohit Sharma, who came to start the innings, and Virat Kohli, who took the crease at number three, had the entire responsibility to overcome the initial shocks and give a solid foundation to the team. But today was a different day. The fast bowlers of the opposing team displayed excellent swing and accurate line-length. Rohit Sharma, in his well-known style, lost his wicket while trying to play big shots, while Virat Kohli, who is known as the run machine, also failed to set foot on the crease and returned to the pavilion after getting out cheaply. Both of them getting out cheaply together proved to be a big mental blow for the team. That dark day of 16 years, when both the great batsmen failed together, is fresh. According to the experts of cricket statistics, this was not a common failure. In the last one and a half decade, it has been seen very rarely that both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have failed so miserably together in the run chase in ODI cricket. Exactly 16 years ago, there was a time when young Virat Kohli was starting his career and the team was not completely dependent on the pair of Rohit-Virat, then such situations used to arise. But ever since both of them have taken charge of the Indian batting order, it has rarely happened that in a run chase above 300, both the legends have returned after getting out on zero or a very low score without making any major contribution. The revival of this old and discredited record has raised the question whether the team is now being forced to increase its dependence on other batsmen apart from these two senior players. Before the future matches, there is a big introspection in front of the team management and players. After this crushing defeat and this failure in chasing the target of 334 runs, now the Indian team management, coach and Rohit-Virat themselves will have to think deeply about their technical shortcomings and mental approach. When you are chasing a big score against any bowling attack in the world, it is the responsibility of the senior players to hold on till the end. But this match showed that name and past history on the field of play cannot always win you a match, for that current form and hunger to fight on the field is equally important. Cricket lovers will hope that in the next match, both these legends will learn a lesson from their mistake and will give a befitting reply to the critics with their brilliant comeback.
