Virat Kohli should be allowed to bat at number three

It was a very close game at Green Park the other day. India were in a very good position and must be ruing their chances of not ending on the winning side. But so many times I have seen that in such big chases, in spite of being in a good position, teams don’t manage to get over the finishing line.

When the asking rate gets consistently to 8-8.5 runs an over, the pressure mounts on the batting team and with the fall of a wicket it becomes very hard for the new man in to keep going at the same rate. And that is why chasing big scores is never easy.

Once Rohit Sharma was dismissed, life got a lot tougher for the Indian batsmen and M.S. Dhoni was the only hope. But he could not pull it off in the last over — against a very, very promising Rabada — as he has done many times in the past. I have been reading criticism in the media about Dhoni but one has to remember that when a batsman repeatedly finds himself in such situations, and Dhoni has a number of times, it can happen that sometimes it doesn’t work.

Rohit was exceptional — it was his second hundred of the tour already! The ball seems to fly off his bat in these conditions. I still believe, however, that India needs to get the batting order right. Virat Kohli’s record at No. 3 in these conditions is not only brilliant but his performances are match-winning ones. His biggest advantage is that he finishes games once he gets set. It is not easy for someone who keeps hitting boundaries in the first 10 overs to come to the middle and realise that good shots are finding fielders on the fence.

The Indian team must realise that and allow him to bat at that number. It was also good to see Ajinkya Rahane bat, and he can still bat at No. 4 or 5. India will miss Ashwin, who has been in great form and it’s a huge opportunity for Harbhajan Singh.

For me, the South Africans have shown great skill with the bat so far. The way their top order, especially Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla played at the start built the platform for the brilliant AB de Villiers to accelerate and attack at the end. This tactic of keeping wickets in hand is a must in sub-continent conditions. It wasn’t easy batting at Green Park and it is this ability to adapt in different conditions that has made the Proteas not lose an overseas series since 2006.

It’s going to be another high-scoring venue at Indore. The series is still wide open and India are still capable of getting better and winning it. The difference between the two sides, so far, has been that South Africa have won the big moments. The games have not been one-sided, except at Cuttack, so India need to soak up the pressure.

They are still a good enough side to win the series.

— Gameplan