"Why the hell was he trying to hit it around there?" - Ian Chappell on Virat Kohli's dismissal on 2nd day of 1st IND vs AUS Test

Former Australian cricketer Ian Chappell believes that Virat Kohli's poor shot selection cost him his wicket on Day 2 of the ongoing Test between India and Australia in Nagpur on Friday, February 10.

Kohli fell to debutant off-spinner Todd Murphy while trying to play a flick shot off a short-pitched delivery that went down the leg side. He got a faint edge and was dismissed caught behind after scoring just 12 runs.

Chappell stated that the Indian batter should have looked to play the ball towards the onside, instead of trying to tickle it down to fine leg. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo after stumps on Day 2, Chappell said:

"Why the hell was he trying to hit it around there? He's far better off opening up on the leg side and pushing the ball into the onside away from the fielder rather than trying to tickle. Because if I got caught in that fine-leg slip position, I'd hang myself. As a right-handed batter, you should never get caught there."

While Australia managed to dismiss the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, and Suryakumar Yadav cheaply, they found themselves on the backfoot once again after Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel's unconquered 81-run stand.

Jadeja, who remained unbeaten on 66, got a big reprieve after Steve Smith put down a chance at slip off Nathan Lyon's bowling in the penultimate ball of the day. Chappell noted that it wouldn't be fair to blame Smith for the drop, given that slip catching is very challenging in the subcontinent.

He, however, suggested that it was important for Australia to convert the chance, as the side were desperate for a breakthrough at the juncture. Chappell added:

"India is probably the most difficult place in the world to field at slips In Australia, it's pretty comfortable because most of the catches are about the waist. I wouldn't be blaming the slip fielders too much. It's difficult, particularly off the pace bowler as you got to stand so close and the ball gets to you very quickly.

"The thing about slip fielding is that you never know when it's coming. For Smith, the second last ball of the day, that's a tough chance. But again, it's something you've got to take and it was something that Australia really needed"

It's Stumps on Day 2 of the first #INDvAUS Test!

#TeamIndia move to 321/7 & lead Australia by 144 runs. 👏 👏

1⃣2⃣0⃣ for captain @ImRo45
6⃣6⃣* for @imjadeja
5⃣2⃣* for @akshar2026

We will be back for Day 3 action tomorrow.

Scorecard ▶️ bit.ly/INDvAUS-2023-1… https://t.co/1lNIJiWuwX

Notably, both Jadeja and Axar accumulated some crucial runs towards the fag end of the day to help India swell their lead to 144. The side finished 321/7 at the stumps on Day 2.

"All the malarkey that was spoken about before the game has not eventuated" - Ian Chappell on Nagpur pitch

Ian Chappell also highlighted how there was a lot of buzz about the Nagpur pitch even before the match started. He, however, emphasized that the surface used for the Test has been up to the mark.

The 79-year-old suggested that these are the kind of pitches that touring teams should expect when they visit India. He reckoned that Australian batters found it difficult as the home team had two left-arm spinners who were able to target the footmarks.

"Let's be fair about the pitch," he elaborated. "All the malarkey that was spoken about before the game has not eventuated. It has been a very typical Indian red-soil pitch and has played the way that you would expect. If you came to India as an Australian cricketer and thought you were going to get anything else, you were sadly misinformed.

"I think the pitch has been pretty good. But there has been a little uneven bounce with a little bit of spin, and the fact that India have the bowlers to take advantage, particularly the left-armer bowling into those footmarks, life is going to be difficult for the Australian batters."

Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin ran riots against Australia 👊🏻

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The visitors failed to put up a strong performance with the bat on the opening day. The Aussies were bowled out for a paltry score of 177. Ravindra Jadeja bagged a five-wicket haul, while Ravichandran Ashwin finished with three wickets. Pacers Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj too chipped in with one wicket each.