Ravi Ashwin explains how Steve Smith and Ashton Agar plotted Virat Kohli’s dismissal in final ODI

Known to be an observer of the game like none other, ace India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin explained how Steve Smith and Ashton Agar plotted Virat Kohli’s dismissal in the final ODI in Chennai. Chasing 270, India got reduced to 77 for two when Kohli and KL Rahul started building a partnership. When Kohli crossed his fifty, he fell prey to the ploy laid by the stand-in Aussie captain and left-arm spinner Agar, chipping one straight to the long-off area.

Speaking on his YouTube Channel, Ashwin, who had earlier tweeted praising Smith’s captaincy following the end of the match, explained how Steve while standing in the slips, helped Agar get the big scalp in Kohli.

Carrying the momentum forward, Agar also dismissed Suryakumar Yadav on the very next ball, accounting for him attaining a bizarre record of getting out on a first-ball duck in three successive matches.

Returning to the dismissal, Ashwin said he heard Smith constantly telling Agar to bowl outside the off-stump area. Explaining how that led to Kohli’s wicket, Ashwin said if the ball holds its line while the batter tries to play it over the extra-cover region, it will go straight to long-off, which creates a higher chance of a wicket falling and eventually, that only happened.

“I noticed Steve Smith was constantly telling Ashton Agar from the first slip, ‘Keep bowling it outside. Because when they see the line, they will try to go over extra cover, and if the ball holds its line and goes straight, it will go straight to long-off. He also made David Warner come in a bit from long-off and set up the entire dismissal,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

The India international also commented on how Kohli rediscovering his form might help India in the World Cup later this year. Ashwin said Kohli is peaking again at the right time, and while he failed to convert his fifties into daddy hundreds like he used to do before, the former India captain might unleash him at the bigger stage.

“Usually, when Virat Kohli scores a fifty, he will convert it into an unbeatable hundred and prove why he is the king. But that did not happen. But fingers crossed, he is looking very good by the day. He is definitely going to turn it on during the World Cup, I have all the beliefs. Let’s back him,” Ashwin added.

Meanwhile, both Ashwin and Kohli will now be seen playing for the Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore, respectively in the IPL 2023, which starts on March 31.