New Delhi, October 17, 2024: Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar expressed his disappointment over Virat Kohli’s early dismissal during the first innings of the opening Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru. Kohli was dismissed for a nine-ball duck by New Zealand pacer William O’Rourke in the ninth over, marking a challenging start for the Indian team.
O’Rourke’s delivery, just short of a length on the off-stump, produced extra bounce, catching Kohli off guard. Attempting to play on the front foot, Kohli’s defensive shot ended with the ball glancing off his top glove, sending an easy catch to Phillips at leg gully. This marked Kohli’s departure for a rare duck, a blow for the Indian side following the dismissal of skipper Rohit Sharma.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Sanjay Manjrekar criticized Kohli’s technique, pointing out that the star batter’s tendency to play on the front foot for every delivery was creating issues. “Have said this before, will say it again. Virat has compounded his problems by wanting to be on the front foot to every ball. No matter the length. Today’s dismissal ball could have been comfortably tackled off the back foot,” Manjrekar wrote, emphasizing that a back-foot shot would have been a safer option.
Kohli’s form in Tests has been inconsistent this year. In four Tests, he has accumulated only 157 runs across seven innings, averaging 26.16, with a highest score of 47. Even though he has fared better in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship 2023-25, scoring 468 runs in seven matches at an average of 46.80, his overall performance in the 2020s has not been up to his previous high standards.
Coming back to the match, India won the toss and elected to bat but struggled under overcast and pace-friendly conditions. The team was bowled out for a mere 46 runs, with only Rishabh Pant (20) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (13) managing to reach double digits. New Zealand bowlers Matt Henry (5/15) and William O’Rourke (4/22) dominated the innings.
New Zealand, in response, capitalized on the conditions and finished at 180/3 at the end of the first innings. Devon Conway led the charge with a solid 91 off 105 balls, building a key 75-run partnership with Will Young (33). Despite a couple of wickets taken by Indian spinners, Rachin Ravindra (22*) and Daryl Mitchell (14*) steadied the ship, giving New Zealand a 134-run lead.
