India skipper Virat Kohli was out chasing another wide delivery at Centurion. India needed their captain to set fire to the second innings, instead, he was dismissed on the first ball after lunch and India were bowled out for 79/4. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, who was commenting, had pointed out how the modern-day batsman is trying to play on his front foot – which may not be an effective method on seaming pitches.
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“(It) was bowled at an angle outside the off-stump, look how far he played. Same as first innings dismissal,” Gavaskar said on-air.
“It was a loose shot, first ball after lunch. Every batsman gives himself some time, especially in Test cricket, to move his feet. Even if it’s a drink hiatus, you need to reset your batting. Kohli, being such an experienced batsman… maybe he was looking to score runs early to declare. But often, when teams look for a declaration, especially in Indian cricket history, they are all out.”
Earlier in the first innings too, he tried to chase down a wide delivery from Lungi Ngidi and threw it straight at the slip fielder. In the second innings, he was dismissed for debutant left-hander Marco Jensen, who created an angle where it was difficult to leave the ball alone. “Look how far this ball is, he could have left it alone. First ball after lunch! He is mainly a lower-handed player, the bat has an angle that gets him out,” said Gavaskar.
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Kohli, who scored 27 centuries in 97 Tests, last scored a century in March in the pink ball Test against Bangladesh in 2019 two years ago. Coming back to Centurion, Kohli looked really good in the first innings, where he scored 35 runs before playing a losing shot which proved fatal. Meanwhile in the second innings, the break might have disturbed his concentration as he was dismissed on the very first ball after the lunch break.
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