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Reacting to Kohli’s dismissal, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar noted how the batter’s unwillingness to address his vulnerability against such deliveries has affected his consistency.
![Virat Kohli was dismissed by Mitchell Starc for 7 in the first innings of the day-night Test [AP Photo]](https://images.news18.com/ibnlive/uploads/2021/07/1627283897_news18_logo-1200x800.jpg?impolicy=website&width=360&height=270 "Virat Kohli was dismissed by Mitchell Starc for 7 in the first innings of the day-night Test [AP Photo]"){kind=logo}
Virat Kohli was dismissed by Mitchell Starc for 7 in the first innings of the day-night Test [AP Photo]
Virat Kohli’s struggles against deliveries outside the off-stump were once again on display during the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. Fresh off a determined century in Perth, Kohli managed just 7 runs on the opening day of the day-night Test at Adelaide Oval.
In the 21st over of India’s innings, Mitchell Starc delivered a length ball outside off that rose sharply, creating uncertainty for Kohli. The ball, pitched around the fifth or sixth stump, moved away late. Kohli, caught in two minds, tentatively edged it to the slip cordon, where Steve Smith completed a straightforward catch.
Reacting to Kohli’s dismissal, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar noted how the batter’s unwillingness to address his vulnerability against such deliveries has affected his consistency.
“One important reason why Virat’s average has slipped to 48 now is the unfortunate weakness outside off. But more crucially his adamance to not try another way to tackle it,” Manjrekar tweeted shortly after Kohli’s dismissal.
One important reason why Virat’s average has slipped to 48 now, is the unfortunate weakness outside off. But more crucially his adamance to not try another way to tackle it.— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) December 6, 2024
Kohli’s Test average, which once hovered in the mid-50s, dropped into the 40s for the first time in nearly five years by 2022. Before the Australia tour, Kohli endured a tough series against New Zealand at home, scoring just 93 runs across three matches at an average of 15.50.
India had been building momentum for a strong first session before Starc turned the tide, dismissing KL Rahul and Kohli in consecutive overs with rising deliveries that found the edges. Shubman Gill was the final wicket of the session, trapped leg-before by Scott Boland while attempting a flick.
In the second session, Australia’s pace trio—Starc, Pat Cummins, and Boland—continued to dominate with the pink ball. Starc excelled with his trademark inswingers, removing R. Ashwin and Harshit Rana, while Cummins effectively deployed short-pitched bowling to trouble the Indian lineup.
(With Agency Inputs)
- Location :
Adelaide, Australia
