Indian cricket star Virat Kohli continued to face challenges in the ongoing Test series, being dismissed without scoring on Day 2 of the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru. Kohli fell victim to a short-of-length delivery from William O'Rourke, resulting in a catch at leg gully after the ball flew off his gloves. This dismissal marked Kohli's 38th international duck, tying him with New Zealand's Tim Southee for the most ducks among active cricketers. India's captain Rohit Sharma follows closely behind with 33 ducks.
The struggles in India's batting lineup were further emphasized as the team lost three quick wickets for just 10 runs during the opening innings. This occurrence marks only the third time since 1990 that India has lost three or more wickets for 10 runs or fewer at home. Similar collapses took place in Mohali in 1999 and Ahmedabad in 2010, both against New Zealand, with scores of 7 runs and 2 runs, respectively. The recent collapse in Bengaluru adds to this unfortunate statistic for the team.
India won the toss and chose to bat first on a rain-affected opening day that saw no play due to persistent rain. Rohit Sharma confirmed the inclusion of Sarfaraz Khan in the playing XI, replacing the injured Shubman Gill.
“Shubman Gill was unavailable for selection of the first Test due to neck stiffness,” the team management said after the toss.
In addition to Sarfaraz Khan, Kuldeep Yadav has been added to the squad, replacing seamer Akash Deep. Given the favorable conditions for spin, Kuldeep has been chosen as the third spinner alongside Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin.
India and New Zealand are scheduled to compete in two more Tests, with the first taking place in Pune from October 24-28 and the second in Mumbai from November 1-5.
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