Unfair to target Virat Kohli after defeat; he remains a champion despite failure in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 semi-final

Virat Kohli became the butt of jokes on the social media following India’s defeat to Australia in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 semi-final. The Indian vice-captain was dismissed for a single in a tall run-chase as India were beaten. Nishad Pai Vaidya writes that it is unfair to target or blame Kohli in the aftermath of the defeat.

A run-chase of 329 against Australia in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 semi-final; who do you turn to? With no second thoughts, Indian fans would have said, “Virat Kohli.” After all, the India vice-captain has been a master of run-chases, having scored 12 tons in successful pursuits. At the age of 26, he is only behind Sachin Tendulkar, who has 14 centuries in victorious chases. But, what magnifies Kohli’s aura is the fact that five of his tons have come in successful chases of 300-plus targets. He is your best bet when the opposition has put up a big total. India vs Australia Semi-Final: Australian innings highlights

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However, on the big day, the Australians outsmarted him by bowling tight lines around the off-stump. Then, he got a short ball and his eyes lit up, for it was his chance to hit it through the off-side. To the dismay of the Indian crowd, he got a top-edge and was caught by the wicketkeeper. A distraught Kohli walked out of the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) as the large Indian crowd was silent. The champion within him would have been kicking himself. More than anyone on the field, he would have been disappointed at missing out on a big knock on the big day. India vs Australia Semi-Final: Indian innings highlights

MS Dhoni, the Indian captain, had a fair point in the post match press conference. He said that Kohli went for the shot and it did not come off. It happens in cricket, doesn’t it? Not for some of the Indian fans, who are quite fickle in nature. They traverse the extremes during a game and their mood depends on the situation of the game. Likewise, the champion Kohli, who has been an undisputed match-winner, suddenly became the national enemy! Five reasons why India lost to Australia in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 semi-final

So, why does Kohli have to be a butt of the jokes on social media and some unfair criticism from the fans? Is it schadenfreude? Here is an extremely successful young man, living the dream to the envy of millions of young men. A miniscule minority achieve what he has at this young age. Perhaps, his exuberant nature invites that ire when he gets things wrong. On this day, it was the presence of his girlfriend, a Bollywood actress, that became the centre of all the attention. To sum up, it is unfair to criticise Kohli for this defeat. It was one bad day in the office after all! Full Scorecard: India vs Australia, ICC World Cup 2015 Semi-Final 2 at Sydney

Kohli is on the path to greatness, and has put the right foot forward on the field of play. No career goes by without disappointment and failure. Even the great Sachin Tendulkar had to face the disappointment of losing a World Cup final in 2003, not to forget the disaster of the 2007 World Cup. But, champions bounce back and script fairytales. Tendulkar got his in 2011 and Kohli was a part of that dream. This experience will only help Kohli grow into a better player and emerge stronger. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Complete Coverage

(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Correspondent with CricketCountry and anchor for the site’s YouTube Channel. His Twitter handle is @nishad_45)