"Decline of Virat Kohli: Former Cricketer Speaks Out Following Adelaide Test Performance"

12 days ago | 5 Views

Virat Kohli was unable to maintain the momentum from his century in Perth, as he was dismissed cheaply during the first innings of the second Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test match in Adelaide. Caught in a dilemma between defending the ball or leaving it, Kohli ultimately failed to commit to either action, resulting in a faint edge off Mitchell Starc, which was caught by Steven Smith at slip.

This dismissal echoed his earlier performance in the first innings of the Perth Test and highlighted his ongoing difficulties with deliveries outside the off stump, a concern for Indian fans. Although he did not play an aggressive shot this time, he still reached for a wider delivery, which led to his downfall.

Former Indian cricketer and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar expressed his dissatisfaction with Virat Kohli's repeated failure against such deliveries, noting that this has become a persistent issue in the latter stages of Kohli's career, which he has yet to effectively address.

In a post on X, Manjrekar stated: “One significant reason for Virat’s average dropping to 48 is his unfortunate vulnerability outside off. More importantly, his reluctance to explore alternative strategies to counter it is concerning.”

Kohli executed a notable cover drive during his brief innings, a shot that is typically one of his strengths; however, it has also led to his undoing at times. Manjrekar previously remarked on Kohli's recent difficulties with shorter-length deliveries, highlighting an early front foot press that caused him to be out of position when facing balls that rise towards him.

India in trouble after losing 4 for 16 runs

Kohli's dismissal occurred during a pre-tea phase in which Australia claimed three wickets for just 12 runs over the course of four overs, leading to a rapid collapse of the top order. KL Rahul, Kohli, and Shubman Gill were dismissed in quick succession, following Yashasvi Jaiswal's leg-before wicket dismissal on the very first ball of the match bowled by Starc.

Rohit Sharma entered the fray lower in the batting order but was also dismissed LBW, this time by Scott Boland, leaving India in a precarious position at 87-5 after having started the day strongly at 69-1. The lower middle order of India now faces the challenge of rebuilding the innings in what is expected to be the most favourable batting conditions early in the Test.

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