The Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune witnessed a surprising turn of events as Virat Kohli’s stay at the crease lasted only nine balls. The star batter was dismissed for just 1 run in the morning session, leaving the fans, his teammates, and Kohli himself visibly disappointed.
Kohli’s dismissal came from an uncharacteristic shot attempt—a missed sweep on a full toss from left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner in the 24th over. Santner’s well-directed drift saw the ball slip past Kohli’s line, crashing into the stumps. The shot was surprising, as Kohli rarely uses the sweep early in his innings. He entered the field with strong intent, following Santner’s dismissal of Shubman Gill for 30 just two overs prior.
Pune Test, Day 2 Updates
Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar didn’t hold back, calling it the “worst shot” of Kohli’s career. On the broadcast, former head coach Ravi Shastri also analyzed the dismissal, pointing out that Kohli had initially gotten off the mark on a similar delivery from Santner by using a straighter bat. Shastri noted, “A similar delivery—he could have taken it on the full and driven to mid-on. It was four for the taking.” Instead, Kohli’s decision to sweep brought about his downfall.
The morning session proved challenging for India, with three wickets falling, adding to the previous day’s wicket of captain Rohit Sharma. Tim Southee had made the initial breakthrough on Day 1, and Santner claimed two more, while Glenn Phillips, in his part-time off-spin role, dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal with a well-placed ball that turned away from the left-hander.
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With India struggling after their previous loss, where they were bundled out for 46 in the first innings, Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan were once again relied upon to stabilize the innings following their resilient performances in the Bengaluru Test.