Virat Kohli has failed to reach a half-century in his last nine Test innings, with his last successful feat of this magnitude occurring against South Africa in Cape Town in January of 2020.
India's batting stalwart Virat Kohli has been unable to replicate his T20Is and ODIs success in the longest format of the game. Not only has he failed to score centuries, but even half-centuries have eluded him. While he had been struggling in the previous few games, Kohli has looked in good form since the first innings of the Delhi Test. However, his occasional lapses in judgement have been his downfall.
As Kohli strode out to the crease on Thursday in the second innings of the third Test, following the dismissal of Rohit Sharma, he exuded confidence from the very first ball he faced. He confidently dispatched an in-drifter from Matthew Kuhnemann, and then proceeded to bat with ease, displaying a mastery of both attack and defence as he adjusted his approach to the varying lengths of the deliveries.
However, Kohli was taken aback by an oddball that shot up after pitching and hit him on the glove. Although he survived as the ball dropped right in front of Peter Handscomb, it raised doubts in Kohli's mind. The batter, however, responded with a beautiful backfoot drive after two deliveries. But on the very next ball, Kohli went for a pull shot against a ball that was skidding from the length, leaving him vulnerable to a potential dismissal.
Eventually, he missed connecting it and it smacked him on the pad. The umpire had no doubts as he raised his finger. Kohli too realized his mistake, shaking his head in disgust and slamming his bat into the boundary Toblerone before trudging to the dressing room.
So far, the Delhi batsman has amassed a mere 111 runs across three Tests, with a high score of 44 in the second Test in Delhi.
Fans expressed their disappointment at Virat Kohli's latest failure in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Some even went so far as to suggest that he should consider retirement.
Check out the reactions here:
Australia gained an 88-run lead in their first innings against Team India, who were then bundled out for 197 in their second innings. Usman Khawaja top-scored with 60 runs, while Ravindra Jadeja was the pick of the bowlers, taking four wickets. Ravichandran Ashwin and Umesh Yadav also contributed with three wickets each.
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