India made O'Keefe look dangerous: Kohli

India skipper Virat Kohli, who fumed at teammates during the first Test, says the hosts made record-breaking spinner Steve O'Keefe look dangerous in Pune.

India's captain Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli (pic) says the hosts made record-breaking spinner Steve O'Keefe look dangerous in Pune. (AAP)

Steve Smith observed Virat Kohli was "angry" in Pune. Shane Warne suggested in the commentary box that India's skipper was "animated" and "frustrated".

Call it what you like, Kohli struggle to hide his disbelief and displeasure as counterpart Smith helped Australia storm to a 333-run win in the first chapter of the four-Test series.

Kohli's mood was no brighter in his post-match press conference. He made it clear India's failures with the bat were responsible for the shock result - and not Steve O'Keefe's canny left-arm spin.

"If you don't apply yourself, any bowling attack can look dangerous," Kohli quipped, when asked about O'Keefe's 12-wicket match haul.

"It's as simple as that. Even a part-timer can get four wickets if you don't apply yourself.

"How badly we batted in the first innings is the main reason why couldn't get back into the game.

"We put ourselves under a lot of pressure."

The right-hander's terrible Test ended when he shouldered arms to a ball from O'Keefe that didn't turn and instead hit the middle of off stump.

"You've got to play the line and I certainly didn't do that," Kohli said.

Australia's performance in Pune will be cherished by Smith for some time, especially given his captain's century on a treacherous pitch.

For Kohli, who came into the match in career-best from after posting a double-ton in each of his past four series, it will be a source of chagrin.

It was his first Test loss at home as captain, while he recorded his first Test duck at home and lowest total of runs in a home Test.

Kohli fumed at teammates and umpires during Smith's knock - which featured chances on 23, 29, 37, 60 and 67. An lbw shout on 73 would have ended his innings if Kohli had any reviews left.

Kohli had a long discussion with umpire Richard Kettleborough during the morning drinks break.

"He was getting a little bit angry at fielders for dropping catches," Smith said.

"Players miss out (with the bat) every now and again, fortunately he missed out in his game.

"He's obviously a world-class player and we expect him to come back hard."

Kohli, who has a history of fiery on-field rows with Australians including Smith, called it India's worst batting performance since losing to Sri Lanka in 2015.

"The last time we had a performance like this (in Galle), we had the most outstanding run after that. I would say that we needed something like this for us to get a reality check," he said.


Share

3 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world