Former Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli saw yet another bizarre dismissal during the second Test against New Zealand in Pune, getting out for just one run. The batting maestro has now managed scores of only 30 and 1 in the ongoing series against the Black Caps.
Coming out to bat after Shubman Gill’s dismissal on Day 2, Kohli looked to sweep a fuller delivery from spinner Mitchell Santner. However, the ball took the leading edge of his bat and went straight onto the stumps. Kohli was left in disbelief by the mode of his dismissal, which highlighted his ongoing lack of runs.
Kohli has struggled against spin bowling in Asian conditions lately, averaging under 29 with over 20 dismissals since 2021. His uncertain technique and shot selection against Santner cost him dearly and he departed without significantly contributing to his team’s total.
The former captain’s struggles have seen him drop below Rishabh Pant in the ICC Test rankings. Many veterans of the game have been openly critical of Kohli’s shot choices as well.
Elsewhere in the Indian first innings, ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took three wickets while all-rounder Washington Sundar returned impressive figures of 7/193. However, none of the Indian batsmen were able to capitalize as they managed only 356 in response to New Zealand’s first innings total of 257.
The Kiwis started the second innings brightly until Sundar provided the breakthrough. Kohli will be hoping to find better form soon and bail his team out of trouble with the bat in the remaining matches.
