Five reasons why Kohli didn't enforce the follow-on
Despite having a 292-run lead, Virat Kohli decided to bat in the third innings against Australia at the MCG. These are the probable reasons why
In the past 25 years or so, teams have been reluctant to enforce follow-ons. A good landmark to separate eras is the 2001 Kolkata Test between India and Australia, in which VVS Laxman's 281 helped India win after following on, the last instance of this kind. That game caused teams to reconsider the value of making a team bat again, especially on pitches that may break up and become difficult for batting on day five, as the Kolkata one did. Also, since then, Test cricket has changed significantly. Scoring rates are higher, which means teams can bat in the third innings and still have time to bowl the opposition out in the fourth, and the schedule is packed, making preservation of bowlers a priority.
India's three frontline quicks have bowled almost 300 overs between them this series, and with the Sydney Test beginning on January 3, Kohli would not have wanted to risk any of them becoming fatigued. India have used a four-bowler strategy this series - unlike in South Africa and England, where they played five bowlers - so workload management is even more important. One might argue that it was worth going for a victory here to take a 2-1 lead even if it affected fitness levels for Sydney, but had India somehow not been able to complete the job despite enforcing the follow-on, they would have been left at 1-1 and with a tired bowling attack going into the decider.
The pitch at the MCG is becoming harder to bat on. The bounce is becoming uneven, with several balls keeping low, and some balls turning out of the footmarks. All indications are that it will get even tougher for batsmen on days four and five as it breaks up further, so why not make Australia bat then?
The more Australia's right-arm quicks run in, the looser the rough outside the left-hander's off stump will become. And that will be something Ravindra Jadeja can exploit while bowling to the four left-handers in Australia's top five.
There is some rain forecast on days four and five in Melbourne, but it's expected to be mostly brief showers that shouldn't cause entire sessions to be lost. There's plenty of time still left in the Test, so Kohli would be confident of getting a result even if there are some stoppages.