We tried everything but nothing worked against Virat Kohli: Josh Hazlewood | Cricket News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood acknowledged the effectiveness of Virat Kohli’s batting, stating that Australia attempted various strategies to dismiss him but were unsuccessful. Kohli’s century, his 30th in Test matches, was instrumental in India establishing a commanding lead in the first Test of the series.
“We cycled through a few plans. He batted really well.He’s a good player. He batted well. We sort of hung it outside off for a bit with an offside field. We tried straight. We tried the bounces. We tried a lot of things. He negated everything. So, yes, credit to him. He batted well,” said Hazlewood on Kohli’s unbeaten 100 which took him past Sir Donald Bradman’s 29 Test hundreds.
Hazlewood conceded that Australia faces a daunting challenge to salvage the match, as they ended the first day trailing by 522 runs with only seven wickets remaining. He admitted that the Australian bowlers endured a demanding day, particularly the fast bowlers, who conceded 290 runs in 84 overs for a mere return of four wickets.
“Yes, it’s up there. It probably speaks for itself,” Hazlewood said when asked if that was one of the harder days he had had in the field.
Hazlewood acknowledged the difficulty of the situation, pointing to India’s substantial run accumulation and the formidable partnerships they forged.
“They piled on the runs and had a couple of really big partnerships there. It was hard work out there. Following it at certain stages.”
Hazlewood highlighted the impact of the new ball, noting that it provided some assistance, but once the ball softened, batting became easier. He observed fluctuations in the pitch’s behavior towards the end of the day, suggesting that it was an aspect the Australian batters would need to monitor closely.
“The new ball probably does a little bit. But, if you get through that, then it’s a bit easier batting. We saw a little bit up and down towards the end of the day, obviously. So, that’ll be something the batters will be watching tomorrow.”
Looking ahead, Hazlewood emphasized the responsibility now rested with the Australian batsmen to perform, stating his intention to shift his focus to preparations for the subsequent Test match.
“I’m probably looking mostly towards next test and what plans we can do against these batters. I guess the batters just sticking to what they do, their preparation.”
Addressing the substantial support India enjoys from spectators, even in Australia, Hazlewood indicated that the Australian team was accustomed to this phenomenon.
“We’re used to that now. I think wherever you play India, it’s an Indian home ground. I reckon the last few tours have been similar. The one-day series in Australia are similar. Yes, we’re all used to it now.”
Hazlewood maintained a composed outlook despite India’s dominant position, recognizing that cricket can be unpredictable and emphasizing that Australia had also experienced periods of dominance in the past.
“I think that’s sort of the way the game flows sometimes. We’ve been on the other end of it as well a lot of times when we’re piling it on and next minute we come out and take a few quick runs late in the afternoon. You see it both ways.”
“They’re obviously well in front on this one and they’re doing the damage. That’s just sort of ebbs and flows of the game.”
Hazlewood explained the decision to use Pat Cummins, the Australian captain, as the night watchman, indicating that it was a strategic choice based on Nathan Lyon’s workload during India’s innings. He anticipated both Cummins and Lyon fulfilling this role at various points throughout the series.
“We’ve just been talking the last few weeks about potentially having two options and Gaz (Lyon’s nickname) obviously put a fair shift in their bowling. Pat put his hand up to do it tonight. I think we’ll see both guys used throughout the series. “
Hazlewood defended Cummins’s performance in the match, dismissing concerns about his lack of recent match practice due to not playing a domestic game leading up to the Test. He praised Cummins’s pace and bounce, suggesting that any rustiness in the first innings was overcome as the match progressed.
“I think he bowled the most out of the quicks. His pace was probably the pick of the quicks as well. He kept his pace up the whole game. His bounces were on track most of the time. He looked his normal self to me. I can usually pick up with the other two quicks when they’re a little bit off and I didn’t see any sort of signs of that.”
“Maybe a little bit of a rust in the first innings. You sort of take the freshness I think over that and throughout this game he obviously I think got better and you’ll just see him get better as he goes along I think. So the freshness I think trumps playing that Shield game for him.”
Hazlewood maintained a positive outlook despite the challenging situation Australia faces, emphasizing the length of the series and the importance of extracting valuable lessons from the opening game. He stressed the need for the Australian batsmen to spend time at the crease, aiming to score substantial runs and challenge India’s fast bowlers.
“It’s just again the batters sticking to their plans tomorrow, batting some time. It’s obviously a long series. It’s a five-match series. So if we can put some overs into their top quicks, I guess that’s probably the couple of goals that we need to tick off tomorrow.”
“If a couple of guys find some form and score an 80-90 or even 100, that’s probably the positives we can take out of it.”