Kohli comes of age

After two washouts and a solitary win, India completed the first ODI series win over Australia on Indian soil in more than 20 years. Although the series win was less than emphatic due to the washouts, there were some positives that emerged for India from the win in Kochi.

Virat Kohli burst on the scene after he captained a very talented India Under-19 team to a world cup victory a few years ago. The Under-19 team included a number of very promising youngsters, but Kohli was the first one to graduate to the next level, playing ODI cricket for India. I was never a great fan of Kohli in spite of his allround skills. His batting lacks a certain elegance that one associates with successful Indian batsman, his medium pace bowling looks pretty pedestrian, and he seems to have a questionable attitude. He did well for India in the initial period before slipping into mediocrity for a brief period of time.

However his match winning innings in the Kochi ODI has made me a believer in his ability. He played a very mature innings, and pretty much guided India to victory in a tough chase, after they were in early trouble. It was an innings of substance, perfectly paced, and played in a difficult situation. I like fighters, and I saw fight in this young man. He also brings to the table that rare ability - an Indian batsman who can bowl seam-up, which can be quite handy in England and New Zealand. We have not had this luxury since Ganguly retired. I think this young man will do well for India in the limited overs game.

The other huge positive was the affirmation of Raina's class. Raina has truly arrived as a finisher for India in the limited overs format. He is fearless, and he has the ability to scare the opposition. The Aussies have had a lot of trouble with him lately, and his confidence bodes well for India.

Of course, death-bowling continues to be an achilles heel for the Indian side, and for some reason our bowlers are unable to bowl the yorker consistently. This problem requires urgent attention, and has the potential to be the chink in our armour that could cost us the world cup.