AUS Vs SA: Josh Hazlewood Makes Shocking Admission About Virat Kohli's Dropped Catch!

Josh Hazlewood has dismissed the notion that the dropped catch of Virat Kohli was the pivotal moment in the India vs. Australia match in Chepauk on Sunday, October 8th. In the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 clash between India and Australia, a significant juncture unfolded when Australian player Mitchell Marsh failed to hold onto a catch from Kohli.

The game commenced on a rocky note for India, with their top-order batsmen falling early. However, Virat Kohli, in partnership with KL Rahul, managed to stabilize the team’s innings.

During this critical phase, Kohli attempted a pull shot that resulted in a top edge, sending the ball towards square leg, where Marsh was stationed to make the catch. Unfortunately, Marsh, possibly distracted by wicketkeeper Alex Carey’s simultaneous pursuit of the ball, couldn’t secure the catch, allowing the ball to elude his grasp.

This missed opportunity proved costly for Australia as Kohli, then on 12 runs, went on to accumulate 85 runs. His partnership with KL Rahul yielded a game-changing 165-run alliance. Kohli’s stellar performance played a pivotal role in India’s recovery from their top-order batting collapse, effectively countering Australia’s subpar 199 all-out total. The outcome was a convincing six-wicket triumph for India, marking a successful commencement to their World Cup campaign.

Josh Hazlewood Dismantled India’s Top Order

Josh Hazlewood took three wickets against India, he sent Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, and Virat Kohli back to the pavilion. He was one of the positives that Australia will take from their match against India.

During the post-match press conference, Josh Hazlewood refuted the idea that the dropped catch significantly altered the course of the game, asserting that the new ball still posed challenges through its movement in the air and off the pitch. He indicated that Australia felt competitive until the partnership between Kohli and Rahul continued to flourish.

“No, I don’t think so, it was quite early obviously when that catch was dropped but we still felt that new ball was doing enough, whether it was in the air or off the wicket. We knew that spin was going to be tough to play, maybe not as tough as during the day, but still enough to play it. And we certainly felt in the game for quite a while until obviously the partnership grew and grew and they sort of batted us out of it obviously. And yeah, I thought we did a reasonable job early in particular trying to defend 200,” Josh Hazlewood remarked.

Regarding the question of whose catch it was, Josh Hazlewood indicated that it was primarily Marsh’s responsibility, with Carey’s presence possibly causing some distraction.

“No, I didn’t think Carey could get there. I think it was Mitch’s catch and probably just Carey got quite close in the end so it might have just put Mitch off. Yeah, he dropped a catch, it’s one of those things that happens and everyone’s training hard and working hard off the field to hang on to them. So, yeah, we’ll continue,” he concluded.

Australia will now face South Africa on 12th October in Lucknow. South Africa has recently beaten Australia in a bilateral series and they demolished Sri Lanka in their first match of the 2023 World Cup. Australia is up for a tough challenge against the Proteas but they are not a team that will easily hand over the win.