[Watch] Virat Kohli drops a sitter at second slip, handing Marnus Labuschagne a reprieve on Day 1 of BGT 2024-25 1st Test

Former Indian captain Virat Kohli dropped an easy catch at second slip, handing Australia's Marnus Labuschagne a reprieve. The incident occurred on Day 1 of the first Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Perth Stadium on Friday, November 22.

The key moment took place on the fifth ball of the third over of Australia's innings. Stand-in Indian captain Jasprit Bumrah bowled a fuller delivery that angled in before moving away. Labuschagne attempted a shot, getting a thick edge.

Kohli, positioned at second slip, didn’t have to move much; he got his hands low to his right, but the ball struck his palm and popped out. The fielders rushed forward, thinking the catch had been taken, but Kohli immediately signaled that he had dropped it. It was only the second ball Labuschagne had faced.

Here’s a video of the dropped catch:

Bumrah has been bowling brilliantly, taking three wickets. At the time of writing, Australia were struggling at 19-3 after seven overs, with Labuschagne and Travis Head at the crease.

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Decent contributions from Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rishabh Pant help India post 150 in their first innings

The visitors won the toss and chose to bat first but didn’t get off to an ideal start, losing Yashasvi Jaiswal for a duck off eight balls. Devdutt Padikkal also struggled, departing for a duck after 23 balls.

Star batter Virat Kohli also failed to make an impact, returning to the pavilion for 5 off 12 balls. KL Rahul looked solid, but his innings ended controversially for 26 off 74 balls. Meanwhile, Dhruv Jurel was dismissed for 11.

Rishabh Pant (37 off 78 balls) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (41 off 59 balls) provided some resistance. India were bowled out for 150 in under 50 overs.

Josh Hazlewood took four wickets for Australia, while Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Marsh each claimed two.

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