"How he missed it was the bigger issue" - Sanjay Manjrekar on Virat Kohli's shot selection in 2nd IND vs NZ 2024 Test
Sanjay Manjrekar recently commented on Team India's star batter Virat Kohli's dismissal on Day 2 (October 25) of their ongoing Pune Test against New Zealand. The former Men in Blue skipper scored just one run before getting out to left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner.
It was a low full-toss delivery, and Kohli attempted to whip it towards the leg side. However, he failed to make any connection and the ball ultimately ended up crashing into the stumps.
Manjrekar opined that Kohli's misjudgment was more concerning than his shot selection. Pointing out that 'perception of length' has been an issue for the batting star for quite some time now, the cricketer-turned-commentator told ESPNcricinfo:
"The worrying thing for me was how much he misread the length. That is what worries me because perception of length seems to be his problem when he's playing seamers as well. I've talked a million times about how he wants to get forward to a ball that is not necessarily full.
"So, it's how he's reacting to the length. But against spin, he's been quite good. This time he completely misread the length of the ball and the ball almost pitched under his bat as he went for the sweep shot. How he missed it was the bigger issue for me than the shot selection."
It is worth mentioning that this was Kohli's second failure in three innings in the ongoing Test series. He bagged a duck in the first innings of the Test series opener in Bengaluru. The 35-year-old did redeem himself with a 70-run knock in the subsequent essay, albeit in a losing cause.
"It's a problem that he has against spinners as well as fast bowlers" - Sanjay Manjrekar highlights Shubman Gill's technical flaw
In the aforementioned source, Sanjay Manjrekar also spoke about India's top-order batter Shubman Gill's technical flaw. He suggested that the youngster playing outside the line of the ball has troubled him.
Mentioning that Gill has the tendency to do so against both fast bowlers and spinners, Manjrekar said:
"It's a problem that he has against spinners as well as fast bowlers. The front pad coming in line and he's playing outside the line. He got out the second time but the same kind of problems earlier in the innings as well."
Gill scored 30 runs off 72 balls before getting out LBW to Mitchell Santner. India were bowled out for just 156 in their first innings. Santner was the pick of the bowlers for the visitors, claiming a stunning seven-wicket haul.