For all his batting practice after stumps on Day 1, Virat Kohli lasted all of nine deliveries for one run on the second day of the 2nd Test between India and New Zealand in Pune on Friday. India resumed at 16/1, but after Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal showed intent to take the total to 50, Gill's dismissal brought Kohli out to a huge round of applause. However, Kohli, who had a pretty decent Test record batting at Pune's MCA Stadium, left the crowd in utter disbelief and stunned silence when he played one of the strangest shots ever to get castled cheaply. Kohli missed a low full toss off Mitchell Santner, missed putting bat to ball as he attempted a very unusual wade and was left in shambles with stumps shattered.

Kohli has gotten out in some of the most bizarre manners. He was dismissed off a waist-high full during the IPL and very recently, opted not to take a DRS when he had clearly nicked the ball in the Test match against Bangladesh last month. However, very few dismissals can top the one Kohli endured in Pune. His shocking dismissal was aptly summed up by Sanjay Manjrekar, who dubbed it the worst shot of Kohli's career. This was Kohli's 21st dismissal to spin in Asia since 2021, as his strike-rate reads just 28.85.

"Oh dear! Virat will know himself that he has just played the worst shot of his career to get out. Got to feel for him… because as always, he came out with solid & honest intent," Manjrekar posted on X.

India in trouble… again

India's situation went from bad to worse as they collapsed to 103/7. With Glenn Phillips and Santner operating in tandem, India lost six wickets for 53 runs, leaving them reeling. Some of the shots were outright poor, such as Kohli’s, Sarfaraz Khan's and Rishabh Pant, while the rest was just some wonderful bowling. Shubman Gill was trapped right in front of the stumps, whereas Yashasvi Jaiswal was out caught behind, both for 30. Ravichandran Ashwin was hard done by as the ball stayed awfully low, giving Santner his fourth wicket, and a career-best of 4/34 and counting.

A second batting collapse in two Tests raises the possibility of New Zealand doing the unthinkable: becoming the first team in 12 years to beat India in a Test match on their soil. They are already up 1-0 following an eight-wicket win in Bengaluru, and with each Test match becoming crucial given a place in the WTC final up for grabs, this is some dangerous territory India find themselves in. With six wickets lost for 91 runs in 27 overs, India are in total disarray, while New Zealand are cock-a-hoop.

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