Renowned Indian cricket team star batsman Virat Kohli faced a challenging performance during the first Test match against Bangladesh in Chennai. Kohli scored only 6 and 17 runs, falling victim to Hasan Mahmud in the first innings and Mehidy Hasan Miraz in the second innings. The spotlight is now on Kohli as he looks to make a strong comeback in the upcoming second Test in Kanpur. However, he encountered a significant setback during practice sessions before the game.
Reports from the Indian Express indicate that Kohli faced 15 deliveries from fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah in the nets, resulting in him being dismissed four times. Bumrah's delivery that struck Kohli's pads on the fourth ball prompted a confident appeal from Bumrah, who exclaimed, "saamne laga hai (You are plumb)" - a statement Kohli acknowledged.
Subsequently, Kohli was caught off guard twice in a row as he edged a ball while attempting to play a shot outside his off-stump. Bumrah cleverly adjusted his line to target the middle and leg stumps, leaving Kohli perplexed.
“Aakhiri wala toh short leg ka catch tha (The short leg could have catched the last one),” Bumrah said.
Kohli made his way to the other net where the spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel were bowling, but his struggles persisted.
Attempting to take on Jadeja, Kohli missed the ball completely three times while trying to play an inside-out shot. Reports indicate that this left Kohli visibly frustrated.
Unfortunately, his challenges continued as he was ultimately bowled out by Axar, whose delivery breached Kohli's defense entirely. This marked the end of Kohli's time in the nets, as he graciously made way for Shubman Gill to take his turn.
Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar expressed concern over the absence of star batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the recently-concluded Duleep Trophy, stating that their non-participation was detrimental to Indian cricket and to their own performance.
Their absence was particularly evident when India faced Bangladesh in the first Test at Chennai. It was Rohit's first Test in five months and Virat's first in eight months, and the lack of match practice was apparent as both players struggled to make significant contributions with the bat. Rohit scored a mere five and six in his innings, while Virat managed scores of six and 17 across both innings.
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